


Tower of Thorns

by EllenOfOz



Category: Supernatural, Tangled (2010)
Genre: Case Fic, Castiel and Dean Winchester are Cute, Eileen's revenge, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by Tangled (2010), Minor Castiel/Dean Winchester, No Smut, Pre-Slash, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-24 06:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12007020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllenOfOz/pseuds/EllenOfOz
Summary: This is the story of how I died. Well, almost. Don't worry, this is actually a very fun story.Once upon a time, I was lost in the forest and stumbled upon this house and this girl. Creepy, right? Anyway, she wanted to see the fireworks, so... my brother and I took her. It all went downhill from there, really.But sometimes, you just gotta follow your dreams.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love Eileen, and I love her with Sam, and I also love Tangled. So... this happened. 
> 
> The story is loosely set towards the end of season 3, pre-Cas and before Dean went to hell.
> 
> This work is complete. I'll be posting a new chapter every couple of days. I hope you like it! 
> 
> Thanks a million to my betas and cheer squad, CBFirestarter, WaywardAF67 and Vipervocals!

_“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your hair!” Rapunzel leaned out the window and dropped her long tresses of hair down, down towards the ground. A moment later, there was a sharp tug as someone began to climb, but when they reached the sill, she saw it wasn't Dame Gothel after all, but a man. They instantly fell in love…_

Eileen snorted. She loved the story of Rapunzel, but this part always struck her as ridiculous. How could you fall in love with someone you just met? Eileen put the book down on the side table and looked towards the windows of the library.

Outside, the sun was shining low through the trees, casting a warm, orange glow over the bookshelves near the window. She was running late to feed the girls. They wouldn't be impressed.

As she walked into the kitchen and slipped on some shoes, she idly wondered what it would be like to really fall in love. Would it be a slow process, gradually realising that what she felt was more than attraction? Or would she fall all at once, like the fairytales promised? She sighed. It didn’t matter—she was unlikely to find out, living in the middle of a forest with only her aunt for company.

Heading out the back door, she glanced nervously at the dark trees looming across the grassy lawn. Dark things lived in those woods, or so her Aunt Eugenie had always told her. Dark, dangerous things, like the banshee that killed her parents and stole her hearing when she was just a baby.

She hurried over to the chicken coop, scattering the grain as the hens rushed over, darting around her feet. She picked Bessy up and hugged her as she wriggled, sinking her face into the soft feathers. The hen put up with it for a few moments, then doubled her wiggling efforts and Eileen was forced to put her down again with a flap of wings and a puff of shed feathers.

She absently brushed the fluffy feathers off her shirt as she turned and took in the hulk of Thorne Tower. The imposing house didn’t take up much space in the forest clearing, but loomed up three stories plus a tower with a conical roof, windows gleaming in the late light. She supposed it mostly belonged to her, these days. Her aunt was barely there—her job as a healer kept her away from home a lot. She still had to come home now and then for Eileen to heal her, though.

Eileen looked up at the last light of the sun over the trees. Tomorrow night, the lights would appear in the sky again, just like they did every year on her birthday. She would be turning twenty-three, and still, her aunt didn't trust her to go out into the world. She wondered, not for the first time, what things were really like out there. She let out a long breath. Perhaps she could try asking to go out again. It had been a while since the last time she’d asked, hadn't it?

Eileen wandered over to the garden to inspect the tomato plants, picking a few ripe ones before the birds got to them. The herbs were growing tall in the spring sunshine—basil, oregano, arugula. She picked a leaf from the bitter greens and munched idly as she wandered back towards the house.

She looked up as her pocket buzzed—her aunt was home! She quickly rushed back in the back door, locking it behind her, then rushed through the house to the front door.

When she opened the door her aunt barrelled in, shopping bags in tow. She greeted Eileen with a hug and a sign for “hello”, but then started chattering away, walking away from her into the kitchen. Eileen rolled her eyes with exasperation and pulled Pascal from her pocket, firing up the device so that her aunt’s words began scrolling down the screen.  
“...such a tiring day! Would you be a dear and give your old aunt a bit of healing?”

Eileen smiled and nodded, gesturing to the large wooden table that took up most of the space in the dining area.

Eileen's aunt put the shopping bags on the table and sat on a chair, facing away from Eileen.

A glance at Pascal showed her that her aunt was still chattering away about her day, but Eileen put it down on the table and lifted her hands, holding them above her aunt's head, not quite touching her dark hair. Was she imagining the grey hairs threading through it today? No, they were definitely there, although she decided not to mention them to her aunt or she'd never hear the end of it.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and centering herself. The magic always started as a tingle in her chest, then warmth flowing outwards and down to her hands.

Opening her eyes, she moved her hands away from her aunt's head, noticing that the grey hairs were no longer visible. Her aunt stood up and stretched, shaking out her lush hair. Signing “thank you”, she continued to speak. Eileen picked up Pascal to follow along.

“Did you remember that I'm heading off on a work trip for a few nights, tonight? I'll be back on Monday.”

Eileen's heart sank. Frowning, she signed, _Tomorrow is my birthday._

“Oh Eileen,” her Aunt cut in, “you know I don't understand the signing when you do it so fast! Couldn't you just use the device?” She waved a hand at Pascal.

Eileen grimaced and gripped Pascal, typing rapidly with her thumbs then letting it speak aloud for her.

Her aunt smiled, looking mildly apologetic. “Is it? I'm so sorry, I'm not going to be able to get out of this particular trip. How about I pick up some takeaway on my way back and we can have a birthday dinner on Monday instead? Hmm?”

Eileen pursed her lips and shrugged, nodding to say that she'd be alright with that. She paused for a moment, thinking, _Just do it! Just ask!_

“On Saturday night, the lights will be in the sky again.”

Her aunt raised one eyebrow quizzically. “You mean the stars? They're there every night, dear.”

“No, these are different. They only appear on my birthday. I was hoping now that you might take me to see them this year.”

“Eileen, we've talked about this! The world outside this house is full of dangers! Even the forest is full of monsters, and outside of that, there are nasty people who would do horrible things to girls like you. Especially with magic like yours. You'd never survive out there on your own. “

“But, Aunt Genie… You do.”

Aunt Genie hesitated a moment, then shook her head. “I know how to protect myself against those dangers.”

Eileen gave up on Pascal and just signed desperately, _Teach me, please?_

Her Aunt just waved her off angrily. “Why are we still talking about this? You'll stay here, where you're safe. Don't ask to leave this house ever again!”

Eileen looked up from Pascal, mouth open in shock. Then she looked down again, abashed.

Her aunt's words appeared on Pascal's screen, “Look, I’m sorry. I had a long day… How about I make it up to you? I'll buy you some pretty things while I'm away… Some makeup to pretty up your face a bit?”

Eileen nodded without enthusiasm, and stayed perfectly still while her Aunt leaned in to hug her.

“I'll pick up some Chinese on my way back on Monday, then we can have a birthday dinner, okay? I'll even get cake… Although maybe neither of us should be eating the cake, am I right?” She patted Eileen's tummy and grinned. "Oh silly, I'm just teasing!"

Eileen gave a half-hearted smile through her hurt, and stepped back to let Aunt Genie out to the front hall.

“I'll be back before you know it, my flower!” she called as she grabbed her keys and handbag, heading for the door.

Eileen sighed and put Pascal back in her pocket. She watched her aunt through the library window as she drove away from the house. _I'll be here,_ she thought. _Where else would I be?_

It just seemed to Eileen that a world containing Chinese takeaway shops couldn't be all bad.

 

~~~~~

 

The Winchester brothers were attempting to scale the side of the museum building.

“Dean, could you get your freaking foot out of my face?” Sam hissed as his brother scrabbled at the brickwork, sending a shower of dust into his face.

“Shut up, alright? I’m having a bit of trouble getting a grip, here.” Dean shifted the other foot up to a windowsill and stopped to flex one of his hands. “Whose idea was it to climb the fucking walls, anyway?”

“Um, yours? It’ll be easier to get in through the roof, you said.” Sam shook his head. “You better be right.”

Dean inched up higher and grabbed the edge of the flat roof, hauling himself over the edge. He lay there panting for a few moments, before leaning back over to give Sam a hand up.

They sat there for a few moments, admiring the view from the museum roof. It was only a few stories tall, but Sam’s hands were raw and the fingernails had chipped painfully. He rubbed at them, wincing, then looked out across the top of the woodland towards the dark shapes of mountains in the distance.

Dean whistled, saying, “Look at that. Yep, I could get used to a view like this.”

Sam chuckled and got gingerly to his feet. “C’mon.” He reached a hand down to help his brother up.

They tried wiggling a few roof panels until they found one that would lift without too much effort or noise. The space below was small, but they both managed to squeeze into it and crawl along until they found a ventilation grate large enough to let them drop through. Sam hoped they were in the right place—their scoping earlier that afternoon hadn’t prepared them for a roof break-in, but once they were on the floor they quickly got their bearings and headed up the corridor to the room with the swords.

A historical blade exhibition had come to town in Abbotsford, Missouri. Somewhere here, among the samurai katanas and ceremonial longswords, was a knife. Bobby had sent them to fetch it, saying that it was enchanted to kill demons. With the grand demon Lilith on the loose with Dean’s soul-contract, they needed all the help they could get.

Dean gestured for Sam to go ahead, while he hung back to keep an eye on the corridor.

Sam crept across the floor in the dim light of the illuminated “Exit” sign, over to the glass cabinet where the knife was on display. It was only a short dagger with a bone handle and a wicked, serrated blade. Magical objects could be deceiving, though—Sam knew that all too well, remembering a not-so-lucky rabbit’s foot they had dealt with not long ago.

He pulled the arm of his jacket over his hand and gently opened the side panel of the cabinet. Reaching in, he grabbed the knife’s handle and pulled it out, shutting the cabinet again. Letting out a short breath, he wrapped the knife carefully in a cloth and tucked it inside his jacket. He hurried back over to Dean, who was waiting by the door.

“You good?” Dean said, eyebrows raised.

Sam nodded, but as they headed back into the room with the missing roof panel, a light came on by the stairs to the lower level. The boys looked at each other, aghast.

“Must have tripped something,” Sam whispered, as they moved as quietly as they could to the hole in the ceiling. Sam quickly boosted Dean up, wincing as his chunky boots grazed still-tender hands.

Just as Sam was jumping for the hole himself, a guard passed the door and shouted, “Hey!”

Dean and Sam crawled to the loose roof panel as quickly as they could, bursting out onto the rooftop.

“What the hell, Sam?!” Dean snapped, racing for the edge of the roof.

“There wasn’t any sign of security in there this afternoon. The guy must have been on his rounds or something.” Sam was busily walking around the perimeter of the roof, trying to see the easiest way down.

Suddenly, there was the unmistakable wail of a siren in the distance.

“Shit. Shit shit shit.” Dean took a running leap off the edge of the roof, landing heavily on a sloping section, one level down. “C’mon!” he called up.

Sam wasn’t quite so willing to leap to his death, but followed, lowering himself as far as he could before dropping down onto the roof.

“I think we can drop the rest of the way,” Dean said, throwing himself over the edge of the roof and swinging on the guttering with his hands. He dropped out of sight.

Sam peered over the edge of the roof. Dean had landed in a crouch on the concrete below, and he straightened up and looked up at Sam.

Just then the cop car pulled around the side of the museum building, sirens off but lights still bright as day.

Dean called, “C’mon!” and Sam leaped off the roof, rolling onto his shoulder and around into a crouch. “Ouch,” he muttered, but jumped up and they raced for the back parking lot.

The police car followed them, but Dean peeled off to the right and jumped a low fence into the neighbouring field. Sam followed and they raced away, the sound of car doors and shouts behind them now. When Sam risked a glance back, he saw a few people jumping the fence to give chase. He looked ahead and saw a high, chain-link fence running along one side of the field. He ran at it and climbed, vaulting over the top and landing on his feet on the other side. Dean saw him, but the chasers were gaining, fast.

“No time…” Dean gasped out. “Meet me… at the bar.” He took off along the fence, and Sam dropped to the ground, hoping the chasers hadn’t seen him.

They all headed off after Dean, but Sam knew it wouldn’t be long before they realised they had split up and doubled back. He turned and ran towards the line of trees, across another field.

 

~~~~

 

Dean looked behind him briefly. Good, the three men chasing them had all come after him. That was okay, because just around the corner was…

He skidded to a stop, glad to take in the sight of his Baby waiting in the lane. He fumbled in his pocket for the keys and quickly jumped into the driver’s seat, starting her up with a low growl.

Dean floored it and the Impala roared off with a spray of gravel, but not before the headlights threw into sharp focus one of the men as he lurched to a stop, tan trench coat flying behind him, tousled dark hair and a scowl that could strip paint. The split-second illumination was like a punch to Dean’s chest. He could have sworn the man’s eyes were a crystal blue. He shook his head. _Get a grip, Winchester._

Dean let out a breath of relief as the Impala sped away into the night.

 

~~~~

 

Sam streaked away across the empty field, hoping he wouldn’t meet any rocks in the shadowed grass. A line of trees loomed ahead, and he darted between them, breathing hard. He looked back across the field, but it looked like the cops had chased after Dean for now.

He headed deeper into the woods, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim moonlight. He was pretty sure that he would find a road if he kept heading in this direction. A cloud covered the moon, plunging the forest into darkness. Sam stumbled on.

A sudden noise to his left made him pause for a moment to listen, one hand braced on a tree trunk. Did they have bears around here? When the noises moved off, he was glad it was just some small night creature on its way across the forest floor. Sam let out a ragged breath, trying to get his bearings again.

He stumbled on in the darkness for some time, until the moon peeked out from the clouds in a completely different place than he was expecting. Yep, he was lost, and it was still hours until morning. He stopped to send a quick text to Dean, Where are you? No details, in case he'd been caught, but checking in all the same.

It was less than a minute before his phone buzzed with a reply, Could ask u the same, bitch. Sam grinned, but felt a stab of panic as well. All too soon, he wouldn’t be able to just text his brother. This knife had better work on demons—they needed to do something to get Dean’s soul out of his contract. Time was running out.

He looked around the dark forest again, thinking of a reply, when he noticed something shining through the trees. A light. There was a light, up a slope and through some branches waving in a gentle breeze.

Putting his phone back in his pocket, he climbed the hill, trying to move quietly across the fallen branches and leaves. He yelped as he ran into some kind of thorny bush, maybe a blackberry, and he continued to push his way through, trying to ignore the scratches on his hands as he went. As he drew closer to the light, he could see that it was shining on the wall of a building, next to an impressive front door. He reached the edge of the forest and saw the whole house, for that was certainly what it was—a grand old mansion with one tall tower looming against the starry sky.

Sam couldn't see any lights in the windows, although there was a faint glow coming from behind what looked like heavy curtains on the ground floor. Maybe he could ask for a drink of water?

He crossed the lawn and approached the front door, ringing the doorbell. He heard a faint chime inside the house, but no movement. Perhaps the owners were out? Or heavy sleepers, perhaps. It was the middle of the night, after all. He tried the bell again, then knocked on the huge door.

Sam considered his options. He could try to follow the driveway back to a main road and hope to make his way back to town. To be honest, that was probably the most straightforward option. But he'd been walking through the forest for hours, and his feet hurt and he was so thirsty. If the owners were away or deeply asleep, they wouldn't even notice he'd been there.

He hefted the wrapped knife inside his jacket, and dug his lockpicks out of his jacket pocket. He made quick work of the lock, and the heavy door swung inwards with a creak and a groan.

Sam crept over the threshold, listening carefully for any movement. He was scanning the hallway when he caught a glimpse of eyes in the darkness, and his heart leapt into his throat. When the eyes didn't move he moved closer and saw it was a portrait, hung on the wall at the end of the hall.

He heard a small sound from the hall behind him. He turned, then there was an almighty CLANG. Stars exploded around him, then everything was black.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Eileen staggered with the momentum of the heavy skillet as it clanged off the intruder's head. He fell to the floor with a heavy thump, then lay still. 

She had fallen asleep in the armchair in the library earlier that evening, and been woken up by Pascal buzzing in her pocket, set off by the doorbell. She had run for the kitchen, but couldn’t find the gun there in the dark. Instead, she had grabbed the skillet and ambushed him from behind once he was inside the house.

Eileen stayed as still as she could until she was sure he wasn't moving. She stared down at the slumped form, barely breathing. She couldn't see much in the dark hallway, but he was definitely a giant. His hair was spread across his face, so she knelt down and gently pushed it out of the way. It felt soft and smooth — not at all like she imagined a man's hair to feel. She winced in sympathy when she felt an ugly welt behind his ear where she had struck him. 

She tentatively touched his chest and felt a subtle rise and fall. Thank goodness he was still breathing! When she realised she was still touching him she whipped her hand away, heat spreading over her cheeks. She quickly put her hand back to the side of his head, summoned up the healing power and a bright glow flowed from her hand, clearing up the damaged skin and bruising. She couldn’t do much if he had a concussion, but at least that would help with the pain. 

What was she going to do with him? He could be one of those ruffians who took advantage of young women. Or worse — a creature! Some of them looked like people, she had read, but she wasn't sure which came in giant sizes. She'd have to test him. She racked her brain to remember the stories she'd read about in the occult lore-books her aunt kept hidden in her study, glad that she had taken the opportunity to read them when her aunt was out. 

She turned on the hallway light and started testing. She didn't have any holy water handy, but she could find salt. She held the iron skillet against his cheek, but removed it again when there was no obvious effect. Salt had no effect either, nor did the silver spoon she touched him with. 

A ruffian, then. She decided that tying him up would be best, until she could determine if he was there after her and her magic. 

She risked running outside to the garden shed, where she knew there was some strong rope. When she came back in, she clutched the skillet tightly, just in case, but there was still no movement from the giant — only shallow breathing. 

She dragged him by the jacket lapels to an upright position leaning against the wall, but when she tried to move him further, she found she couldn’t shift him at all. So much for moving him into the library, then. She did the best she could with tying his hands and feet, finding a gun tucked in the waistband of his trousers in the process, then she stood back to admire her handiwork. 

_ “Never survive”, eh Aunt Genie? Hah! _ There was a person, a giant person, in her house, and she’d taken care of him! Maybe she should just go by herself to see the lights.

Suddenly, the giant shifted a little in his unconsciousness, and Eileen squeaked a little and ducked around the door frame of the library. She peeked back around the door. Maybe… she should make this giant take her to see them. After all, she’d bested him. Maybe she was his master now. 

She watched him for a few moments, peacefully dozing against the wall. He… was quite a nice giant to look at.

She crept back out into the hall, knelt down and put her hand on his chest again, pushing him gently until he slumped over against the side of the sideboard against the wall beside him. There was something hard under his jacket. 

Eileen had a little war with herself for a few moments. On the one hand, she was the master of this giant, now. On the other hand, it was his jacket. You couldn’t just go taking things from other people’s clothing, could you?

Eventually her curiosity won out, and she opened his jacket and reached inside, pulling out a hard object, wrapped in a cloth. The object was a knife, similar to one her aunt kept locked away in her study. It had a bone handle and strange carvings on the blade that made Eileen queasy to look at. 

She ran a finger down the symbols, wondering what they meant, and her finger left a trail of white glow behind it. Her eyes widened, and when the glow didn't fade away, she touched the blade again, only to drop the knife with a thud. The metal was white-hot. She snatched the cloth away before it caught fire, but it wasn't even warm. 

_ What the hell…? _ Eileen thought, then gingerly picked up the knife with the cloth and wrapped it, placing it in a drawer in the sideboard with some linens. 

She stood back, leaning against the opposite wall of the hall. She slid down to the floor, reaching over to grab the handgun she had left nearby. She knew how to use one - her aunt had taught her how to load and shoot the revolver she kept on top of the cabinet in one corner of the kitchen, just in case they ever needed it. 

Eileen watched the man warily. He looked so peaceful. She wondered again why he was here. There wasn't a car outside, so he must have walked here. She decided to let him sleep, and put her own head against the wall behind her, closing her eyes just for a moment, the gun held loosely in her hand. 

 

~~~~~

 

Sam groaned as he shifted. His head hurt like hell. What had happened to him? He tried to lift his hand to rub his face, but couldn't move it - his hands were tied tightly behind him. 

He cracked an eye open to see sunlight streaming through a window. He'd come in that door, hadn't he? He looked around, and noticed the girl sitting on the floor across from him. She was leaning against the wall like he had been, head tipped back and mouth open, sound asleep or unconscious.

Sam couldn't see any bindings on her hands, but he noticed she was holding his gun. Surely she wasn't his captor? Was she a demon? No, they didn't sleep. 

He cleared his throat. No movement. He tried again, saying, “Hey, excuse me?” The girl stayed sound asleep. Perhaps she had been knocked unconscious as well? 

Sam tried to shift across the floor but quickly realised he was tied to the leg of the sideboard. In any case, the movement must have been enough to wake the girl, because she blinked sleepily a few times. Her eyes widened as she saw Sam smirking at her, and she leapt to her feet, shoving the gun out in front of her. Sam's concern rocketed up as he heard the click of the safety coming off. 

“Hey, hey, it's okay, please don't shoot!” he said quickly. 

The girl just stared at him, breathing heavily and brushing her dark hair out of her eyes. 

Sam marvelled as he saw that her hair fell down her back, all the way to her knees. She was a slim thing, but wiry, the tough look somewhat lessened by the fluffy purple dressing gown she was wearing over jeans. 

He looked back up to her terrified face, and tried again, “I'm not here to hurt you. What's your name?”

The girl just stared at him, shaking slightly.

He tried shifting forward, but his wrists were tied tightly and the rope cut into him painfully. The girl flinched at the movement, and jumped back against the wall, still holding the gun out in front of her. She fumbled in her dressing gown pocket and pulled out what looked like a phone. She glanced down at it, then tapped the screen furiously with the thumb not holding the gun. 

The device started to speak, “Who are you, and how did you find me?”

Sam stared at the device, then up at her face. “You… you can’t speak?” he asked.

The girl gave him a look that could have curdled milk. She thumbed something into the device again. “I can’t hear. How did you find me?”

“Okay, let’s start over.” Sam smiled hopefully, then continued, “My name’s Sam. I was lost in the forest, and I found your house and thought there might be someone here that could help me…” He trailed off, as the girl had huffed a laugh at something she read on the phone and had started typing something herself.

“Lost in the forest? With this, and a knife?” She held up the gun as the device spoke. 

He gasped and looked down at his jacket. “You found the knife? Where is it?”

A panicked look crossed her face before she typed, “Somewhere you’ll never find it. Until you help me with something.”

Sam eyed her dubiously. “Help you? With what?”

The girl’s eyes brightened and she clicked the gun’s safety back on, tucking it under her armpit while she typed for a few moments, then letting the device speak. “Tonight, there will be lights in the sky. I need you to take me to see the lights, then return me home safely. Then, only then, will I return your knife to you.”

Sam stared at her incredulously. This girl was crazy. She was holding the knife ransom? “What if I just took it and left?” 

“I have your gun, remember? I’m not letting you go until you agree to help me.” She grabbed the gun again, waving it at him with a fierce look on her face. 

Sam smirked. She had guts, he’d give her that. Besides, she was vulnerable, and kind of cute, and needed help, and Sam found it hard to resist that. And he definitely needed something (or some _ one _ ) to take his mind off the infuriating but ridiculously attractive Bela Talbot and the Colt she’d lifted from under their noses. 

It was just one day, wasn’t it? He was pretty sure he’d seen advertising for some kind of new-agey festival over the weekend in town — perhaps there would be fireworks, for her “lights in the sky”. He decided to play along.

 

~~~~~

 

Eileen had never been so terrified in her life. She had bluffed her way to this point, but was now totally at a loss as to what to do next. The giant — _ Sam _ _ — _ seemed reluctant to believe that she meant her threats, and she was close to just throwing the gun at him and running from the house.

Sam started to speak again, and despite all her lip-reading practice with her aunt, she found it very difficult to understand a stranger. She looked down at Pascal for help.

“All right, I’ll help you. But I’m going to need you to untie me, please. My hands are going numb.” 

When Eileen looked back at him, he did look like he was in pain, with a pleading look in his big, hazel eyes… Eileen shook herself and nodded, grimly. She signed “thank you” and knelt down to untie Sam’s hands. The knots had tightened themselves with his struggling, but she made quick work of them, and of the rope securing his feet. 

He stood up, unfolding from the floor and stretching his arms up and  _ up _ , and Eileen jumped backwards again in fright, brandishing the gun. She barely came up to his chest! She steeled herself, and typed into Pascal, “Are you a giant?”

Sam laughed. “Nope, just a regular guy. Well, mostly regular,” he added. 

Eileen eyed him warily, then typed again, “I’m going to get some shoes, and a jacket. Come with me.” She indicated the kitchen door, and Sam moved ahead of her into the room. She grabbed her boots and laced them up quickly, discarding her dressing gown for a khaki jacket. She grabbed an old satchel with a shoulder-strap that her aunt had left by the door, and tucked Sam’s gun into it.

She quickly looked around the room, but there wasn’t anything else she needed to take with her. She had no money, only Pascal in her pocket and the satchel on her shoulder. That would have to do. After all, she’d be back later tonight. Gathering her courage, she nodded towards the back door, and she and Sam went out, locking it behind them. She quickly went over to the chicken run, scattering a handful of grain for them, then looked back to Sam.

_ Where to? _ she signed, raising her eyebrows.

Sam took the hint, and headed off towards the driveway, pulling a device similar to Pascal out of his pocket. She hadn’t found that one while she’d been tying him up, but it had been in his front trousers pocket, and she blushed again when she considered putting her hand in  _ there _ .

He turned to her and waved it, then said, “It’s just a phone, like yours. I need to call my brother. He might be able to come pick us up. Okay?”

Eileen glanced up from Pascal, and nodded. While Sam spoke into the phone, she looked around at her house and garden, marvelling that she was actually leaving.  _ I can't believe I'm actually doing this! _ she thought, a warm feeling of elation rising in her chest. 

She felt a momentary panic,  _ What will Aunt Genie say? She’ll be devastated! _ But then she remembered that her aunt had been about to keep her locked safely inside the house forever, and her resolve hardened. She would leave, and see the world, and be back before her aunt even knew she was gone. 

With a huge grin on her face, she spun around in a giddy circle, then stopped abruptly when she saw Sam looking at her, curiously. He was smiling, and had taken the phone away from his ear for a moment. When she gave a shy smile in return, he said “okay” into the phone, followed by something else she didn't catch, then he looked at the phone and tapped it. 

“Let's go,” he said, slowly enough for her to understand, and she smiled again. 

They walked down the gravel driveway together for what felt like an hour, but when Eileen turned around she could still see the house at the end of the straight drive. The next time she looked behind them, the house had disappeared from view behind a bend, and she gave a little skip of excitement to be on such an adventure. 

As they walked, she looked around at the forest. The trees stretched over the narrow drive, their branches almost touching. She realised that she had lived in this forest her whole life, and never knew what these trees were called. There weren't any forestry books in her aunt's library. She had read about Ancient Egypt, geology, vegetable gardening and, of course, the fairytales, but she didn't know where she lived or anything about her forest. 

But that didn't matter. Sam was going to take her to the lights and bring her home again. She glanced at him to see him looking back at her, and she snapped her eyes back to the driveway. 

Actually, there was something ahead, through the trees. A black something on the ground. 

Suddenly, a red object hurtled past, making her jump.  _ Ahh, a road, _ she thought.  _ So many new things, and it's only eight in the morning!  _

Sam put a hand on her shoulder and she jumped again in fright. “Sorry!” he said quickly, and motioned for her to stay. He walked closer to the road, and leaned against a tree to wait, fiddling with his phone. After a few minutes, he jumped out from behind the tree and waved at something,  _ someone _ , on the road. 

Eileen felt the car before she saw it. A deep rumble in the forest floor preceded it, and when it pulled into the driveway, she could feel the rumble in her chest and  _ hear _ the low growl. It was black, sleek, and gorgeous. 

It wasn't until the engine had died and another man had got out of the car that Eileen realised she had been staring, mouth open. The new man was grinning, and he gave her a wink when he caught her eye. She stared at him, then looked to Sam, then back again. Were all the men in the world as beautiful as these two? Her aunt really had been keeping secrets. 

 

~~~~~

 

Sam watched the girl shift her stare between the Impala, Dean and himself, and laughed. “I think it’s all a bit new,” he said to Dean.

Dean nodded, still smiling. “You going to introduce us?” 

“Uh, she hasn’t actually told me her name, yet.” Sam tried to win her attention away from the car again. “Hey, this is my brother, Dean,” he said, pointing to him. “You didn’t tell me your name,” he added hopefully.

The girl glanced down at her phone and looked up sharply at Sam, her cheeks flushing. She typed with two thumbs for a moment, and Dean’s eyebrows shot up with the phone spoke. “Sorry, I’m Eileen,” she said, with a small grimace.

Sam smiled again, hoping to put her at ease. “Nice to meet you. Shall we?” He gestured to the car, then leaned forward to open the back door. Eileen hesitated, looking back over her shoulder at the driveway snaking off into the woods, then glanced back at Sam with a determined look and got into the car.

Dean let out a breath and said, “You sure know how to pick ‘em.”

Sam grimaced, saying, “C’mon, don’t give me that look. She wants to see the fireworks.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “You’re letting her hold the knife to ransom over what, a date?” 

“Shut up and get in the car,” Sam said, going around to the passenger door. 

“All right, Romeo, but the first sign of any funky business, and we’re out, okay?” 

Sam turned around in the front seat and tried to smile reassuringly at Eileen. When Dean started up the car, she looked even smaller and more terrified, huddled in one corner of the back seat. 

The drive back into town was short, but they parked a couple of blocks away from the bar behind some bushes, covering the car as best they could. 

As they approached the bar, Sam got Eileen’s attention and said, “I hope you’re hungry! This place does great food. Here it is.”

 

~~~~~

 

Eileen’s Aunt Eugenie had stopped for gas a few towns over that morning, after spending the night in a dingy motel along the side of the highway. 

She was just heading to the cashier when she walked past a local patrol car, and heard a crackle over the radio,  _ Sighting of black Impala, stopped at a driveway along the Abbotsford road. Two males, one female. Now driving towards Abbotsford. In pursuit. _

Eugenie stopped dead.  _ Eileen! _ No, it couldn’t be. But her gut feelings were rarely wrong.

She quickly paid for the fuel, then jumped back in her car and gunned it out of the gas station, headed back towards home.

By the time she got back to Thorne Tower, the sun was high in the sky. Aunt Eugenie let herself in the front door and had a quick look around, but couldn’t find Eileen anywhere. There was a pile of rope on the floor near the back door, but no other signs of a struggle. 

Eugenie sighed. Children. Why’d they always have to be so difficult? She went up to her study to get the ingredients for a scrying spell.


	3. Chapter 3

 

Eileen stared at the bar, horrified. She had read about bars and restaurants and other eating and drinking places, but this, she guessed, was best described as a  _ dive _ . The outside was all peeling paint and cracked concrete, and a large neon sign proclaimed the dubious name of  _ The Abbot _ . She threw back her shoulders and followed Sam and Dean inside. 

They had driven along the road through the forest for a short while, then the trees had thinned and houses started to appear. Eileen had stared at them, at the lampposts and signs and people in their yards, and she just couldn't believe she was doing this. Her aunt was definitely going to kill her. Or at least, banish her to her room for a while. No, she wasn't going to find out. Her excitement had grown and grown until she was almost bouncing in her seat, and she realised Sam kept giving her funny little glances. But this… This was not what she had expected at the end of that journey.

To say that she was disappointed at the inside of the Abbot was an understatement. The place was dim, nearly empty and not particularly clean at first glance. The grimy tables were scattered loosely around a raised area on the other side of the room. The bartender was eyeing them warily from behind a long bench, with shelves full of bottles behind him. 

She looked up at Sam, then turned to retreat back out the door. 

She paused on the doorstep, breathing heavily for a moment, her head spinning. What was she doing? She should head right back home now. She shut her eyes tightly when she realised she didn't know the way. 

A hand on her shoulder startled her out of her panic, and she flinched away, looking up through watery eyes to see a concerned Sam standing there. 

“You okay?” he asked. 

Eileen shook her head, looking down at the concrete path in front of her, and brought her hands up to cover her face. She wondered how long she could hold tears in for. Sam tried touching her shoulder again and she let him turn her around and take her back inside. She took a deep breath to steady herself. This was her dream! She tried to convince herself to remain brave for whatever horrors awaited. 

But once they were back inside, Eileen's eye caught on a bookshelf in one corner of the room, and she wandered over to investigate. A few of the shelves were full of books, with titles ranging from cookbooks, to  _ Concert Pianists of the Twentieth Centur _ y, and, randomly, several books about interior design. There was a row of tiny ceramic unicorns lined up along one of the shelves. Eileen was intrigued, but before she could investigate further, Sam came over to get her attention. 

He led her over to a table, where she saw three burgers with fries piled up next to them. 

 

~~~~~

 

Sam held out a chair for Eileen, then sat down himself. Dean was already tucking into his burger, giving small moans of appreciation. 

“It's not one of Ellen's, but it's all right,” he said through a mouthful. 

Sam snorted and picked up his own burger, and looked at Eileen as he took a bite. She was looking dubiously at the burger, poking at it with one finger. 

“Go on, it's good!” Dean said, although with his mouth full it sounded more like “Guhhn gooof!”

Eileen raised one eyebrow at him and picked up a knife, slicing the burger down the middle. She picked one half up and peeked at what was in the middle of it, before taking a bite. Her eyes widened in wonder and she made short work of the rest of the burger, plus most of the fries. 

“Whoa, slow down there, you're gonna pull something,” Dean said, although he was obviously impressed by her appetite. “You guys want a drink?” He mimed drinking to Eileen, who nodded and smiled. He wandered over to the bar. 

Eileen sat back and rubbed her tummy, moving her gaze to Sam and pulling out her phone. She typed something and smiled, but he couldn't hear the speech over the loud music. He cupped his ear and said, “It's too loud,” then reached for the phone. 

Eileen seemed reluctant to give it to him, especially when he started pressing buttons on it. He soon discovered that it was a phone with network access. The voice recognition thing must be a program in it or something. He put his number in her contacts and sent himself a text while she sat there, alternating between glowering and holding out her hand impatiently. 

Sam gave her the phone back and sent her a text from his own phone.  _ There. Now we can speak :)  _

Eileen nearly fell out of her chair when her phone buzzed in her hand and she saw the message from Sam. She worked out how to reply immediately and sent,  _ How did you do that?!!  _

He laughed.  _ It's just a phone. I put my number in there so you can text me when you want to.  _

Eileen's jaw dropped when she saw the message. She typed furiously while Sam cleaned up the rest of the fries.  _ Pascal is a phone, too?  _

Sam quirked one eyebrow and said, “Pascal?” 

Eileen waved her phone at him.

“Right. Of course.” Sam thought for a moment, then went back to typing.  _ So, how come you want to see the fireworks? I mean, the lights. _

_ I’ve always dreamed of seeing them. They always appear every year, on my birthday. I just want to see what they are. _

Eileen looked so earnest that Sam had to bite back a smile. He typed,  _ Today is your birthday? _

Eileen nodded, face turning a charming pink.

“Happy birthday!” Sam said, smiling at her. 

Eileen signed  _ Thank you _ , smiling shyly. Sam recognised that one from the ASL lessons he had taken at college. It was a shame he couldn’t quite remember any more.

Sam wrote another text,  _ So, if you’ve wanted to see them for so long, why didn’t you just go see the fireworks yourself?  _

Eileen’s smile dropped, and she picked up her phone again to start typing.

Just then, Dean came back over with three beer bottles, placing them on the table and looking at Sam and Eileen, sitting next to each other.

“Well, look at you two, playing with your phones like a couple of teenagers,” he said, grinning. 

Eileen picked up her beer and eyed it dubiously, as Sam said, “Shut up, we’re talking.” She took a mouthful, and nearly choked on it. She had a horrified look on her face as she started coughing.

Sam and Dean both laughed, until Dean saw something out the window over Sam’s shoulder and his laugh stopped abruptly. 

Sam said, “What? What is it?” He turned around to look, and saw two patrol cars pulling up outside the bar. “Shit. Eileen?” He touched her arm, and she looked at him. “We need to go. Now.” He grabbed her and yanked her to her feet, pulling her towards the passage that led to the bathrooms out the back. Dean was ahead of them, busting open the fire door at the back of the building, then making sure it was closed again once they were through.

“Let’s move,” Dean said, checking the mouth of the alley they now found themselves in. They headed in the opposite way, running down the alley at the back of the shops along the row from the bar. The centre of Abbotsford wasn’t huge, but there were enough streets to get lost in, and hopefully to lose a tail in.

When they finally stopped for a breath, Eileen yanked her arm out of Sam’s grip and angrily typed into Pascal, letting it do the talking, “Wait just a second! Why are we running from those people? What have you done?”

Dean leaned against the wall of a shop, panting hard. 

Sam looked at Eileen and said, “We stole something from the museum. They want it back.” 

Eileen gasped in a few breaths while she typed. “The knife?”

Dean nodded, but just then, two policemen came running around a corner, down the lane. The three of them leaped into action, sprinting away down the alley and then turned sharply right into a lane full of boxes and scaffolding. They didn’t get far before they realised there was no way through - the lane was blocked off for a construction site. It was a dead end. 

Cornered, they turned around to face the police. Sam fumbled with Eileen's bag to pull out his gun, then pushed Eileen behind him. She shoved him roughly back, although he barely moved.

The men ran into the alley, guns drawn. 

“Don't shoot! We're unarmed!” Dean called, then ran right at one of the policemen, tackling him to the ground and knocking the gun from his hand. 

The other policeman rushed at Sam, but shouted in fright and fell back when Sam pulled his gun from behind his back. 

Just then, another man came barrelling around the corner, tan trench coat flying. He saw that Dean had laid out the officer on the ground with a few punches to the face, and walked over, glaring at Dean as he got up and backed towards where Sam and Eileen were standing. 

“I don't wish to hurt you,” the man said in a gravelly voice, holding his hands out in front of him like he was calming panicked animals. 

Now that he had stopped scowling, Sam realised that he had an open, honest face, with bright blue eyes, even in the dim alley light. 

Suddenly, with a small gasp, Eileen disappeared under a plastic sheet behind them, into the building site. Sam heard her land with a thud, some distance down. 

Sam looked up at the scaffolding and grabbed it, wobbling it slightly. If he could knock some of this over, they might get a chance to get away again. If Eileen was okay down there, of course.

He gave the upright support an experimental shove with his free hand, just as the gun-wielding cop came back around the corner and trench-coat-guy started to move forward as well.

Sam looked at his brother. Dean was just standing in place, mesmerised by Blue-eyes. Had he been hypnotised or something? 

“Dean?” Sam asks as he shoved the scaffold harder. “Dean!”

Dean finally turned to look at him, and when he realised what was happening, quickly hopped backwards to join him. Together they shoved the scaffolding hard enough that, with a huge groan and crack of snapping bolts, the structure leaned away from the building site and fell with an almighty crash to the ground, in front of where the cops had been standing. 

As the scaffold collapsed, Dean stepped backwards, his foot slipping on the edge of the excavation. He stumbled over the edge with a shout, landing heavily on the ground below.

Sam peered over the edge. Thankfully, the hole wasn’t that deep, perhaps ten feet down. He saw Eileen sitting up and rubbing her head, while Dean was gasping in pain, holding his arm to his side. 

He jumped down and helped Eileen to her feet, checking her head to see if she was hurt. He looked her in the eye and said, “You okay?” When she nodded, he turned and went over to Dean, kneeling down in the dirt beside him. 

Dean groaned when Sam touched his arm. Sam said, “Can you move? We need to get out of here.” He winced in sympathy when Dean moved his arm again. His wrist was definitely bent in the wrong direction.

Dean gasped in pain. “Yeah, I can move,” he got out.

He started to get up, but Eileen put her hand on his shoulder and held the other hand palm up, wiggling her fingers. Sam recognised that one as the sign for “wait” - maybe the ASL lessons were starting to come back to him a little. 

Eileen knelt down beside Dean and put her hands gently on his arm. 

Dean eyed her dubiously. “What’s she doing?” he asked, looking up at Sam.

Sam shrugged, saying, “I dunno.” 

Dean gasped as a white glow began around Eileen’s hands. Sam thought he could hear the edge of a melody, faintly… was Eileen humming? She pushed on Dean’s wrist and it popped back into alignment with a crunch, making Dean hiss in a breath between his teeth. He looked like he was about to faint, but when Eileen took her hands away, he flexed his wrist and looked at her, amazed. 

“It’s fixed!” he said, getting to his feet. He said to Eileen, “Thank you. But we’d better go.” 

They quickly picked their way to the other end of the building site, and climbed up a sloping ramp. Sam could hear shouting from the alley where they had toppled the scaffolding. The cops would be after them again soon.

The trio ran away from the building site, turning down as many streets as they could until they found a run-down area on the edge of the city centre and an abandoned house they could easily get into. 

Eileen had followed along behind the boys, panting heavily with all the running, but when Dean opened the door of the derelict house, with its overgrown gardens and shabby clapboards, she balked.

Sam felt awful about making her run all this way. He tried to reassure her. “It’s just for a few hours, until it gets dark and the cops stop looking. Then we’ll go to the festival and blend into the crowd, okay?”

She read his words on Pascal, then looked up at the house with an unsure frown. 

Sam heard the faint wail of a siren in the distance. The cops probably weren’t still looking for them with cars, but he exchanged a glance with Dean and grabbed Eileen’s hand, pulling her up the sagging front steps and into the dim interior. 

The roof had fallen in on one side of the living room, so that filtered sunlight shone in through the trees above the house. The other end of the room looked relatively safe and clean though, so Eileen sank down with her back against the wall, closing her eyes.

Sam grabbed Dean’s arm and looked at the smooth, unbruised skin. “What did she do to you?” he asked, bewildered. 

“Healed me, I guess. Pretty sure my wrist was broken. I heard it snap when I landed,” Dean said, frowning.

Sam shook his head, glancing back at Eileen, who was digging through her shoulder bag. He looked back to Dean. “What happened back there, anyway?”

“What d’you mean? I slipped and fell over the edge,” Dean said dismissively, going to lean near the window to peek out.

“No, I mean before that. You were just standing there staring at that trench-coat guy. One of the cops could have shot you!” 

“Well, did you get a look at him? Hey, I hope he’s okay… that scaffold would have fallen close to him…” he trailed off when he saw Sam looking at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” Sam said, shaking his head in wonder. Sometimes his brother baffled the hell out of him. 

Dean changed the subject. “What about her?” he said, quietly. “Sam, she’s a witch.”

“Maybe,” Sam said, unsure. Thinking about that brought up questions he didn’t want to consider. Eileen seemed so innocent, so eager to see the festival that night. He couldn’t believe she’d ever wish someone harm. 

Just then, Eileen got back to her feet. Pascal said for her, “I’m just going to go see if there’s a bathroom.”

Dean stopped her, saying, “There’s probably no water, though. Just go out to the back garden.”

She wrinkled her nose at him, but stepped carefully out towards the back of the house. 

“Stay out of sight!” Dean called to her.

Sam chuckled. “I dunno, man. Can’t we just take her to see the damn festival? Then we can decide what to do.” 

Dean shook his head. “We shoulda grabbed that knife when we had the chance.”

Sam cleared his throat, showing Dean the wrapped knife tucked back into his jacket.

“What the hell, Sam? Let’s just get outta here, then!”

“No. I told her I’d take her to the fireworks”

Dean sighed. “All right, whatever. But it’s freaking witches, Sammy. Not just her - didn’t you say she had a weirdo aunt? We’re gonna have to check what’s going on at that house, and if we find anything nasty…”

Sam wasn’t convinced, but nodded in agreement, frowning. “Can we just... not work, for one night? Have some fun?” The words he didn’t say hung in the air between them.  _ Your time is running out, Dean. Let’s enjoy life while we can. _

Dean sat down on the wooden floor, yawning. “Hmm, whatever. I’m going to sleep. I’m beat.” He balled up his coat to use as a pillow, and put his head down, shifting to get comfortable. 

Sam sat next to him, leaning against the wall where Eileen had been earlier. 

 

~~~~~

 

Eileen picked her way back out of the shrubs at the back of the overgrown garden. It was beautiful out here, with wildflowers peeking out of the fresh spring growth in the overgrown grass, and tall trees stretching up toward the blue afternoon sky.

She was just about to head back into the house, when she felt Pascal buzz in her pocket. She fished him out, expecting to see a text message from Sam, but she gasped when she saw it was from Aunt Genie.  _ Uh oh _ , she thought. 

The message said,  _ Hello Eileen. I hope you’re enjoying your little adventure. Yes, I know where you’ve gone, and who you’re with. They are dangerous hunters, flower. They will kill you in a heartbeat! Please, be careful, and come home soon. If you need me to come and get you, tell me your address. _

Eileen’s heart sank as she read the message, her stomach turning to ice. Hunters? What sort of hunters? She certainly wasn’t ready to go home yet, not when the festival and her dream were so close. 

She thought carefully before sending a message back.  _ I’m sorry, Aunt Eugenie, but I have to see the lights. I’m with nice people. They are going to bring me back home once the festival is over. Don’t worry, I am safe. _

The reply came back almost instantly.  _ Just remember, hunters are excellent liars, flower. I’m right, you’ll see. Please come home. _

Eileen frowned at Pascal, not wanting to believe her aunt. She really thought Sam liked her - he had seemed interested in talking to her at the bar. Actually, her aunt wasn’t nearly as mad as Eileen had expected her to be. She was certainly worried, but perhaps she wouldn’t be punished quite so severely when she eventually got back home. 

She decided to ignore the messages for now. Putting Pascal back into her pocket, she picked her way back inside the house to rejoin the boys. 


	4. Chapter 4

Eileen reentered the living room to find Dean asleep on the floor, and Sam sitting against the wall with his eyes shut. She stopped to admire their sleeping forms again. Even though she was reasonably sure they were still giants, they didn’t look like killers. Not like this, anyway.

Sam’s eyes opened, and he smiled at Eileen. She beckoned to him, going back out to the back step so they wouldn’t wake Dean up. Eileen sat on the step and typed out a message to Sam, _My aunt often sleeps after I heal her as well. Must be part of the process._

Sam sat down beside her, looking thoughtful. After a moment, he typed out a message in reply, _Do you heal her often?_

_Every few months or so. She’s sick - it helps to keep the pain away if I heal her._

Sam nodded. _And you two live alone in that house in the woods?_

It was Eileen’s turn to nod. _My Aunt Eugenie has looked after me since I was a baby. My parents were killed by a banshee. That’s why I can’t hear._

 _I’m sorry,_ Sam wrote. _My parents are also gone. My mother when I was just a baby, too. My father only died about eighteen months ago._

When Eileen had read the message, she looked at him, but he was looking away across the garden. She turned Pascal's voice on, and said, “I'm sorry, Sam.” She reached over and put her hand on his arm.

Sam looked at Pascal in surprise, then at Eileen. “It’s okay, I just miss him, I guess.” He looked back out to the overgrown yard. “Seems silly, we didn't have the best relationship, but now that I'm older… ” He shook his head. “Never mind. So, your aunt… she doesn’t let you leave the house?”

Eileen typed into Pascal, “I go outside to look after my garden and animals, but she doesn’t want me leaving the area around the house. Says it’s too dangerous.”

Sam nodded, looking pensive. “Eileen… does your aunt… what does she do for work?”

“She’s away a lot. She’s a healer too, but with medicines and herbs and things. I want her to teach me but she says no. I used to have a teacher, to teach me to read and to sign, but he stopped coming when I was maybe seven or so.”

She frowned, remembering Mister James for the first time in a long time. She had liked him - he had shown her a glimpse of the outside world that her young mind craved, and he’d opened the world of reading to her. She had forgotten most of the signing he had taught her, since she didn’t really have anyone to practise with and her aunt was reluctant after she had got Pascal for Eileen. Then, he’d just stopped coming. Her aunt had said that he had to move away for other work.

Sam nodded, frowning. “Does she ever...hurt you?”

“No!” Eileen was horrified. Her aunt loved her. Didn’t she? I mean, sure, she left Eileen alone for weeks at a time, sometimes. There had been the odd occasion when she thought her aunt had forgotten her. And the people outside her house hadn’t been that bad, so far. Except for the people who wanted to chase and catch Sam and Dean for stealing the knife.

That’s right, stealing. Hadn’t Aunt Genie just warned Eileen that hunters were tricky liars? Eileen frowned. How dare he put doubts in her mind?

Sam held up his hands and said, “Sorry! I’m just concerned, that’s all.”

“You’re concerned for me?” She blinked up into Sam’s kind eyes, thoughts of her aunt dissolving on the cooling afternoon air.

Sam nodded, placing one of his hands over hers. “I just think you deserve to see some of the world. Let me show you.”

He leaned towards her, and just for a moment she thought she might let him place a kiss on her lips. It would be very nice… to be kissed by this dangerous, giant hunter.

But her aunt’s face swam back into her thoughts, and decided she wasn't quite ready to kiss strange boys on steps. She stood up, pacing away from him into the yard.

“I can show myself the world, thanks. Maybe I'll let you come along,” she wrote.

He laughed and rubbed at the back of his neck, but then he looked up sharply and darted up the steps into the house. Something must be happening with Dean. Eileen followed him.

 

~~~~~

 

Sam had heard a shout from inside the house, followed by a low voice, saying, “Hello, Dean.”

He rushed into the front room, gun drawn, to see Dean still on the floor. He had sat up and scooted away from the trench-coat man, who was standing near where Dean had been lying.

The man stood up when he saw Sam come in, holding his hands up to show he was unarmed.

Dean rubbed one hand over his face and said, “Were you watching me sleep? That’s… kind of creepy, dude.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Dean stood up, backing away to where Sam was standing. He said, “How’d you know my name? Who are you, anyway? And why are you chasing us? Are you a cop?”

“Oh right, uh, Castiel. Castiel Novak, FBI. “ He flipped open a wallet to show a badge. It was upside-down.

Dean smirked. “Where are the rest of your guys?”

“I'm alone, I assure you. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me. The police in this town say you've stolen something important, and I'd like to take it back to them.”

Sam eyed him warily, then looked back to check on Eileen, who was alternating between peeking around the door frame and watching the conversation on her phone. What did she call it? Pascal.

Dean laughed. “What makes you think we took it? And even if we did, why would we just give it to you, dumbass?”

Castiel sighed. “I was hoping we could resolve this peacefully, but I could just call them in right now.” He pulled a phone out of a pocket, getting ready to dial.

“No, wait, I'm sure we can work something out,” Sam cut in, dropping his gun to point at the floor and reaching out one hand towards him.

“Look, man, we're just taking our friend here to the festival, then we're taking her home again. No big deal, right? We don't know anything about a stolen… anything,” Dean said, taking a step towards the agent.

Castiel gave him a look that seemed to say, _You really expect me to believe that_?

Dean chose that moment to lunge at Castiel, grabbing the gun and throwing a punch with his other hand. Castiel dodged it, but them both fell to the floor, trying to wrestle the weapon from each other.

Eileen ran in and tried to grab a foot of one of the men as they rolled around. She grabbed Dean's boot, but as she pulled it just came off his foot with a _shhhunk_. She blinked at the boot, then looked pleadingly at Sam.

Sam tried to hold in a laugh, and tucked his gun away. Castiel had managed to get Dean on his back, and was trying to simultaneously hold his head out of reach while keeping Dean's hand from poking him in the eye with a finger. Sam grabbed each of them and pulled them apart, saying, “All right, break it up.”

Eileen had dropped Dean’s boot and started frantically typing on Pascal, and by the time Sam had both Dean and Castiel apart, panting heavily and glaring at each other, she was ready to start speaking.

“Look, I know you might be after these two, but they are just trying to help me see the fireworks, okay? It’s my dream to see them, so could you please just not arrest them for a few more hours?”

Castiel had looked up at her in surprise when the phone started talking in its odd, robotic way, but by the time it was finished he was wearing the skeptical face again.

Eileen added, “Plus, it’s kind of my birthday. Just so you know.”

Castiel stared at each of them in turn for a few moments, then sighed. “Okay. But I’m coming with you.”

Dean said, “What? No!” looking from Castiel to Sam and back again.

Sam sighed. The last thing they needed right now was an actual Fed shadowing them, but they needed their criminal records lengthened even less, so they didn’t really have a lot of choice. “Look, we didn’t want to blow our cover, but we’re actually Feds too.” He dug his badge out of his jacket and showed him, continuing, “You can come with us, but just let us get Eileen home safely, okay?”

Castiel glanced at Eileen, then narrowed his eyes and squinted at her.

Eileen looked a little spooked, and she moved back a few steps, half-behind Sam.

Castiel shook his head and looked up to Sam. “Sorry, she just looks like someone… never mind. “ He looked back to Dean and said, “If you’re also federal agents, why did you attack me?”

“Like my partner said, we didn’t want to blow our cover. I’m Dean, and my partner is Sam,” he said, reaching his hand out for the other man to shake.

Castiel did so, gingerly, then did the same with Sam, then offered his hand to Eileen, who moved out from behind Sam to take it. “What’s the nature of your case here? And when were you going to this festival?”

Dean got to his feet, saying, “You’re kidding me. We’re really doing this? A big group date to the fair? Kill me now, please.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Let’s go. We’ll fill you in on the way.”

Dean wasn’t moving just yet. He got up in Castiel’s face again, saying with venom, “Look, the only way we’re going anywhere with you is if you keep those fucking cops off us, and don’t blow our cover, okay?”

Castiel stared him down. “I’ll try,” was all he said in reply.

 

~~~~~

 

Sam motioned for the others to come across the road, as they crept their way across town in the late afternoon light. Once they were at the festival they would be able to blend in with the crowd, but for now they were going to have to avoid open spaces.

Castiel trailed along behind them, not trying to stay out of sight at all. Every now and then Sam caught Dean glaring at the man, but whenever he said anything all Castiel offered was a smirk.

The festival was a celebration of the spring equinox, but Sam had seen a poster with an impressive line up of live music as well. As they got closer to the festival site, they saw an eclectic mix of mainstream festival-goers, as well as the new-age hippie types.

Sam bought tickets for himself, Eileen, and Dean, leaving Castiel to buy his own. Sam grabbed Eileen's hand as soon as he had theirs and pulled her away from the police standing watchfully near the ticket area.

Once they were inside the festival grounds, Sam pulled her to the side again to wait for Dean and Castiel to follow. Eileen's eyes were wide as she took in the crowd. They couldn't see any stages from where they were, but Sam could see the start of some market stalls not far away. Sam turned Eileen by the shoulders until she was looking up at him. “You okay?” he asked.

Eileen looked like she was overwhelmed, and possibly about to pass out from excitement, or perhaps terror, but she put on a brave smile and nodded back at him.

He nodded back to her and looked up, keeping an eye out for Dean.

He made eye contact with Dean over the top of the crowd, and he and Castiel pushed their way through to where Sam and Eileen were standing.

Dean was frowning, looking around at the crowds. “What're we doing here again? I feel dirty just being around these people.”

Sam chuckled. He had been to a few music festivals in his time at Stanford and had always enjoyed the energetic atmosphere at these things. It seemed his brother didn't share that enjoyment - at least not yet.

“C’mon, Dean, we've got three hours to kill until the fireworks. Might as well try to enjoy ourselves while we're here.” He nudged Dean's shoulder with his own and grinned.

“You two enjoy yourselves. Come on, Cas, let's go find a bar. They have alcohol at these things, right?”

Castiel raised one eyebrow at Dean, saying, “Aren't we working?”

“Yeah, fuck that,” Dean replied with a grimace. “I've had enough working for one day. C’mon.”

He headed off into the crowd, but not before he turned back to Sam with a wink and an eyebrow wiggle in Eileen's direction.

Sam shook his head with a smile and turned to Eileen, who was looking quizzically at him. He felt a buzz in his pocket and pulled out his phone.

 _What was that all about?_ Eileen had texted him.

 _We'll catch up with them later. Come on,_ Sam replied, then once she had read the message, offered her his elbow.

She looked at his arm with confusion, so he took her hand and tucked it into his elbow for her. They shared a smile for a moment, then Sam lead her towards the area labelled “Artisan Alley”.

 


	5. Chapter 5

To say that Eileen was overwhelmed by the festival was an understatement. She'd never imagined so many people in one place at one time, and the press of humanity around her made her pulse race with exhilaration, and also terror. The only thing that kept her from running and hiding in some dark corner was Sam's steady presence at her side. That, and her resolve that this was exactly what she had been dreaming of for so many years, and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to try to enjoy every moment of it. 

Still, she had been shoved from every side, had her feet stood on, and her long, loose hair kept getting caught on things as she brushed past them. 

There was loud music playing somewhere nearby—she couldn't hear it, only a dull rumble from the crowd noise around here, but she could feel the deep bass thumping through the ground. 

The Artisan Alley that Sam led her to was a narrow street, lined with stalls and filled with the most beautiful things she ever seen. Clothes in rainbows of colour and endless varieties or shoes, jewellery for every part of the body, drawings, paintings and sculptures, musical instruments that she had no idea how to play but were works of art, soaps that smelled good enough to eat, and smelly, smoking sticks that she quickly backed away from. 

It was warm in the busy crowd, and Eileen tried to bunch her hair up to cool the dampness on her neck. Sam caught her elbow and turned her so she could see a young girl at a stall holding up a wire hairpiece. She called Eileen over, and when Eileen glanced up at Sam, he nodded, smiling. The girl turned Eileen around and twirled her hair up, pinning it in place with the hairpiece. Eileen shook her head experimentally, but only a few strands fell around her face. She beamed at the woman, then caught Sam looking at her with a warm look on his face. He turned to the lady and said a few words, then offered her some cash. Eileen realised she still had no money. 

She pulled Pascal out of her pocket and typed a message to Sam, _Sorry,_ _I'll give you some money when we return to my house_. 

Once they had left the stall and continued on their way, Eileen tapped on Sam's phone in his pocket and he pulled it out, reading her message. He waved a hand and said something she thought might have been, “Don't worry about it. Happy birthday.” 

She smiled and turned to look at the next stall, but was stopped from walking forward by Sam's hands on her shoulders. She turned back towards him but he faced her away again, running one hand lightly over the back of her neck, making her flinch slightly. The light touch sent a delicious shiver all the way down her spine. He fiddled with her hairclip for a moment, then dropped his hands. She turned around and raised one eyebrow. 

Sam shrugged and said, “Fixing your hair.”

Eileen wasn't sure whether he was speaking more clearly or if she was getting better at reading his lips, but she frowned at him in what she hoped he understood as a warning not to do it again, and continued walking. 

Eileen caught a delicious cinnamon smell further down the row, and there Sam bought her a tall cylinder of dough, fried and covered in cinnamon and sugar. The aroma alone nearly killed her, but the taste… It was beyond delicious. She closed her eyes in satisfaction as sweetness spread over her tongue. 

She only opened them when Sam pulled her to the next stall, pointing to squares of what looked like more soap in neat stacks. She looked at Sam in confusion, but he was buying something already. He handed her a small cube of something soft that smelled like pure sugar. When she looked at him he bit into his own, so she followed suit, discovering an even sweeter taste than the funnel cake she still held in her left hand. She may have let out some unladylike sounds, she couldn't be sure, but as soon as she was over her visceral reaction, she pointed at the table at what was neatly labeled “caramel fudge”. She made a laughing Sam add some chocolate and choc-mint flavours to the order, and walked on down the lane with a happy smile and a small paper bag tucked into her satchel. 

Up ahead, two extremely tall women threaded their way through the crowd. They towered over everyone, even Sam, and Eileen wondered if more giants had come out of the forest, but as they approached she realised that they were walking on stilts. She remembered a book from long ago about a circus that travelled around with acrobats and stilt-walkers. 

As they passed by, one of the women reached a hand down and high-fived Sam. Eileen was staring in open-mouthed wonder, but Sam just shrugged and grinned. 

They saw more stilt-walkers as they went on, as well as acrobats, puppeteers and people dressed in all manner of strange outfits. One was dressed as a clown, but when Sam noticed he took Eileen's hand and dragged her away from there, nearly yanking her off her feet. Not a fan of clowns, Eileen guessed. 

 

~~~~~

 

Sam saw the clown and nearly jumped out of his skin. He grabbed Eileen and ducked away from the market area without an explanation. 

Light was rapidly draining from the sky now, but the gravel path they had ducked down was fringed by tall bushes and lit by colourful paper lanterns hanging overhead. They branched away from the markets, following a smaller crowd.

Sam kept a close eye out for any police, but he only saw the odd black-clad security guard watching for trouble makers. He avoided them anyway, just in case they'd picked up an APB. It wouldn't be the first time. 

Eileen tugged on his hand and pointed up ahead, excited. He was surprised again by how natural her hand felt in his. He had no idea why he had agreed to come here in the first place, but now…stepping out of his life, to enjoy himself and try not to worry about the end of  Dean's demon-deal looming in just a few weeks? He needed this, and so did Eileen. She was like a little girl, running from one stall to the next, delighted in everything. She was beautiful, and even more so with her hair pulled up and pinned. 

And he had to admit that the low groan she had made while eating fudge had sent a warm feeling straight to his core. 

He mentally slapped himself. He was here to escort her to the fireworks, not on a date. And if he was right about Eileen having been through a difficult time in her life, he had no business thinking about her in that way. 

That reminded him that he hadn't had a chance to send the photo to Bobby. He pulled out his phone while Eileen was occupied, laughing in delight at a performer blowing large colourful bubbles for a group of kids. He smiled at the sight, then opened a text message and attached the photo of the branded sigil he had seen on the back of Eileen's neck that he had taken while “fixing” her hair. He sent it to Bobby, and hoped he would recognise it. He was starting to have a very bad feeling about this aunt of Eileen's. 

A band started playing somewhere up ahead, and the flashing colourful lights must have distracted Eileen, because she turned to Sam and beckoned to him. 

Sam noticed a text from Bobby come in:  _ Roger that _ . He put the phone back in his pocket and followed Eileen into the stage area, where a band was playing under a massive sign that read “Abbie Gardner”. A woman was playing a guitar and singing, while the rest of the band played behind her. A large crowd was on the ground near the stage, some people dancing, others sitting to enjoy the music. 

Sam couldn't help but tap his foot, then turned to see that Eileen was standing still, watching the crowd. He wondered how much she could hear, but thought it might not be polite to ask. Instead, he caught her eye and tilted his head towards the bar area at the back of the arena. 

As they wandered over, Sam spotted Dean and Castiel, sitting on stools around a small table. They had beer bottles in hand and Dean was laughing at something the other man said. Castiel was grinning as he spoke, and Sam was pleased to see that Dean was also enjoying his night. They had so few friends these days, but in their line of work, it was dangerous to get attached. At least Castiel looked like he could take care of himself in a fight. 

He looked back to Eileen, who had found a table for them near the stage side of the drinking area. A wave of protectiveness came over him, but he pushed it down and went to the bar to order drinks—just lemonade this time, after her reaction to beer earlier. 

When he got to the table, Eileen was typing something on Pascal. He set the drinks down and sat on a stool, waiting for her to finish. But when she stopped typing, there was no message to Sam's phone, just a smile from Eileen. 

She took a sip of her drink and gasped in delight. 

Sam laughed, then had a twinge of sadness in his chest. Had she really never had lemonade? 

She look another long pull on the straw and smiled at Sam.

Sam’s heart gave a small leap, but he shoved the reaction down and typed a text into his phone.  _ Was that your aunt? _

Eileen looked surprised when she read the message. She eyed him speculatively and nodded. She typed a message,  _ She knows where we are, but I think there are too many people for her here. She seems to think you’re dangerous. _

Sam chuckled at that message and started to reply, but Eileen was still furiously typing away.

_ But she’s so wrong. I mean just look at this place! All these people, having fun and enjoying life. I can’t believe she wants to keep me in the house! _

Sam read the message and looked back up at Eileen’s storm-cloud face. If his suspicions were correct, Eileen could be in more danger than he had guessed.  _ Eileen.. Is this the first time you’ve been away from the house? _

 

~~~~~

 

Eileen looked up in surprise again, wondering how Sam knew. Or had he just guessed? She took another sip of the delicious drink, bubbles fizzing on her tongue while she considered lying to protect her aunt, but Sam looked so sincere waiting for her answer. She had never known anyone so concerned about her before. Not since Mister James, anyway.

Her aunt had been quite clear in her message, though. The Winchesters were not to be trusted, and she should return home immediately. A festival was no place for a young woman, especially not with convicted felons. When she had replied that they actually seemed like nice young men, her aunt had replied with,  _ You must be joking! They are only after one thing, flower, to use you and then leave you, or worse. Get away while you can. _

She had idly thought,  _ That’s two things _ . But then dismissed her aunt’s misgivings about Sam. He was nothing like the dangerous men her aunt had suggested the world was filled with. 

She decided to be honest. She sent to Sam,  _ Yes, this is the first time. At least, I don’t remember leaving before.  _

While they had been talking, the band had cleared off the stage and a new group was setting up. Eileen watched as a fiddler started playing, followed soon afterward by another man with a small silver whistle. She found herself wondering what the music sounded like, but when the rest of the band joined in with drum and bass, she felt it—a thrumming through her feet, a stirring in her blood. People in the crowd began to jump up and dance, laughing as they swung each other around. 

She jumped up in delight and grabbed Sam’s hand, beckoning with her other hand. Sam laughed and shook his head, but Eileen gave him her best pleading eyes and eventually he let her drag him away from the bar area and onto the uneven grass where the dancers whirled. 

Sam was still reluctant to join in, but once they were in the thick of the dancing, he had no choice but to hold Eileen’s hands and spin her around. The energy in the dance was incredible—Eileen could feel it beneath her feet, like she was stepping on lightening. It was building in the crowd around her, and most of all she felt it sparking between her and Sam. She closed her eyes and let the beat carry her along. 

 

~~~~~

 

Dean took a swig from his beer and watched his brother dancing in the crowd. Eileen looked tiny compared to Gigantor, but Dean could see how carefully he was holding her as he smiled.

“You know,” he said to Castiel, still watching the dancers, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sam dance before.”

Castiel gave a crooked smile as he watched Sam and Eileen spinning around in the crowd. “He looks like he’s enjoying it.”

“He dances like a drunk moose, but yes, he’s enjoying it.” Dean grinned at Castiel. “What about you? Anyone special waiting at home?”

Castiel’s grin dropped and he looked away, saying quietly, “No. No, my line of work doesn’t really lend itself to relationships.”

“Hah, that makes two of us.” Dean drained the last of his beer, just as the Irish music reached its crescendo and finished. The dancers milled about, and most of the people at the stage started to move off towards one of the paths away from the stage, Sam and Eileen included.

Dean stood up. “Sorry to break up the party, but I kinda need to follow Romeo over there.”

Disappointment flashed across Castiel’s face as he stood as well, saying, “Of course. I actually need to get back to the office to check on something. Thanks for the drink.” 

He reached out a hand to Dean. Dean wasn’t too sure that he wanted to go making friends with a real Fed, but he had enjoyed the drink with the guy and hoped the fact that he was currently a fugitive wasn’t about to make things weird. He grasped Castiel’s hand, shaking it firmly.

“Hey, thanks, Cas. I enjoyed the afternoon. After the chasing part, of course. I guess I’ll catch you around.” 

He gave a smile and a nod and walked away, quickly trying to lose himself in the crowd while keeping an eye on his brother, who was currently disappearing up a path leading away from the amphitheatre.

 

~~~~~

 

Eileen’s blood was still zinging after the dance, but her excitement gave way to curiosity as Sam led her along with the rest of the crowd. He hadn’t said where they were going, they had just left the stage when everyone else had. 

The path widened out and Sam and Eileen found themselves in what could only be the main arena. Eileen had never imagined so many people in such a large space before. A sea of people stretched out in every direction in front of a massive stage, brightly lit and with a small band playing. The name “Eric Hutchinson” was written in large letters above their heads. 

Pascal buzzed in her hand, and she saw a message from Sam,  _ Let’s head up the back, find somewhere out of the way? _ He looked at her questioningly when she looked up again, and she nodded. 

He took her hand and headed uphill, away from the stage. As they got towards the back of the crowd, Eileen saw that Sam was angling towards a hole in the fence, and they ducked through it, running across a gravel drive towards some buildings. Sam jumped up on a balcony rail that ran around one of the buildings, and pulled himself up over the guttering, reaching back down to grab Eileen’s hands and haul her up to the roof. The tiles were slightly slippery, but they found a flatter section to sit, with their backs to a section of wall. 

The view was incredible—across the whole sea of people towards the stage. Eileen could still feel the thump of bass and the buzz of crowd, even up here, but they were far enough away that she felt separated from the crowd. She looked at Sam and smiled, signing “thank you” with her hand. 

She looked out over the crowd, marvelling at how it moved back and forth like water. The sky was a dark, inky blue now, and a few stars were shining through the hazy brightness above the stage area. 

Eileen gasped as she remembered the treats in her satchel, and she pulled out the bag of fudge to share between them. She sighed as she chewed the choc mint fudge and typed into Pascal,  _ I’m nervous, you know. _

Sam read the message, then said, “Why?”

_ I’ve been dreaming about seeing the fireworks up close for so long… what if they’re not that great? I’ll have come all this way for nothing. _

_ Well, not for nothing, _ she thought. Her day with Sam and earlier with Dean had been pretty incredible, too. She gazed at him, thinking how lucky she was that he had stumbled into her life.

Sam shook his head and started typing. _Even_ _if it’s not that great, that’s okay. That means you get to pick a new dream._

Eileen read the text, then snapped her eyes back to Sam’s, smiling. 

Just then, the lights on the main stage went off, plunging the festival site into near-darkness. Eileen nearly jumped out of her skin, and she eagerly sat forward, watching and waiting.

The first firework shot up into the sky from somewhere above the stage, and exploded over the crowd in a burst of white stars. Eileen gasped in delight.

 

~~~~~

 

Sam watched as burst after burst lit up the sky, and reflected colours onto Eileen’s face. She watched them with wide-eyed amazement, drinking the spectacle in.

Sam was in trouble. Big trouble. How could he even be considering bringing Eileen into his and Dean’s lives? He just couldn’t—that wouldn’t be fair to someone who had barely seen any of the world outside her aunt’s bubble. 

But oh, he was in deep, and it was taking all of his self-control to keep from touching her. Her delight in the world around them had reminded him that the hunter life kept them in the dangerous and ugly parts of life. It had been so long since his eyes had been opened to simple joy.

He had to get her to safety. He was having trouble believing that her aunt’s intentions were good. He quickly texted Bobby to see if he’d had any luck with the sigil, but there was no immediate reply.

Below, in the festival crowd, small lights started to pop up here and there, and Sam remembered the little torch candles he’d picked up earlier in the market. He pulled them out now, and when Eileen noticed the lights below and turned back to him questioningly, he lit one and held it out to her. Their fingers brushed when she took it, and the gooseflesh spread up his arm like fire. 

She shuffled back until she was sitting close beside him, thighs and arms touching. On impulse, Sam reached around Eileen and snuggled her in under his arm. She fit there perfectly, and she looked up at him, her eyes wide and trusting. 

He threw caution to the wind, and lifted his other hand to gently touch the side of her face with his fingertips. She leaned into his touch, lightly closing her eyes. As the last crescendo of the fireworks exploded above them, Sam bent his head down and gently brushed his lips to hers in the barest kiss. He pulled back, looking down to see if she was okay with this development. She was gazing up at him, mouth open with wonder. She grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him back down to her in a more forceful kiss, and he melted into her.

 

~~~~~

 

Eileen had never dreamed that kissing someone could be so... well, nice. It was wet, sure, but fireworks were exploding behind her eyes as well as in the sky, and she just wanted to feel, and taste, all of Sam. 

Sam ran his hand gently down Eileen’s back and rested it on her hip, pulling her closer and making more electricity arc up her back. Then he pulled back slightly, breaking away from Eileen’s mouth and gently resting his forehead against hers. He ran his hand along her jaw again, and she wondered why he had stopped. She leaned in to kiss him again, but he stopped her with a finger on her lips. He picked up his phone and showed her the glowing screen. She huffed in frustration and sat back a little. 

 

~~~~~

 

Sam grimaced as he answered the phone. “Bobby? You better have something.”

Bobby didn’t sound impressed on the other end of the line. “Shut up, ya idjit, I wouldn’t be calling if I didn’t have somethin’. Listen, that sigil is ancient magic, real old stuff. It controls the life force of another being, allowing the soul to be drained at will. Only an ancient and powerful witch can control magic like this. I hope you know what you’re in for, boy.”

“Shit. I have a fair idea. Thanks Bobby, we’ll check in soon.”

He hung up and looked back at Eileen, staring questioningly at him in the dim torchlight. How was he going to explain this to her? 

His phone buzzed in his hand again. He glanced down at it. This time it was Dean.

“Sorry!” he said to Eileen, holding the phone up again with a wince. She just shrugged and went back to watching the crowds, milling around after the fireworks show had ended.

“Dean?”

“Where the hell are you, man? There are cops swarming around here.”

“We’re up on a roof behind the arena. Dean, we’ve got bigger problems. Eileen’s aunt is a powerful witch. She’s branded this sigil on the back of Eileen’s neck… Look, we’ve got to take her out, and soon.”

“Sammy, do you really think we have time to rescue your girlfriend right now?” 

“She’s in danger, Dean. Look, I’ll bring the knife down to you. You go find her and take her out, okay? I'll take care of Eileen.”

Dean sighed on the other end of the line. “Okay. I’m down near the fence. Flash me a light and I’ll come over.” 

Sam hung up and waved his phone around, noticing Dean crossing the driveway a few buildings down. He kneeled down again and typed a quick message to Eileen,  _ I’m really sorry but I just need to go see my brother for a moment. I’ll be right back, okay? Just stay here and you’ll be safe. _

Eileen nodded, and Sam leaned in for a quick brush of lips before he stood up and dropped back over the edge of the roof. 

 

~~~~~

 

A heavy weight settled on Eileen’s chest. She looked back down at Pascal, the speech-to-text messages revealing Sam’s side of his conversation with Dean. 

So he already had the knife? She wondered how he had grabbed that back out of the drawer without her noticing, so many hours ago. She sighed and rubbed at her eyes, feeling the exhaustion catch up with her. If Sam already had the knife, why did he bring her to the festival? Especially since he was on the run—it just made no sense. Could it have been that he felt sorry for her? Or, on a darker note, was he trying to get her alone so that he could “use and leave” her, as her aunt had warned? Was that was this was, up here on the roof? What exactly had he meant when he said he'd “take care of” her? 

Her hand moved to her lips, that had been touching Sam’s such a short time ago. Had any of it been real? As first kisses went, she had thought it was pretty spectacular, but not nearly long enough.

The tight feeling rose to her throat, but she refused to let the disappointed tears spill. Her aunt had been right, but was she really also a witch, as Sam suggested? And if so, what did that make Eileen, with her healing powers? 

She took a hiccupping breath, and wondered what she should do if Sam did actually come back. She should try to get away and warn her aunt.

She started to pack up and get ready to find an escape route when she was startled by bright flashing lights down in the alley below the building. She shuffled down to the edge of the roof and peeked over to see Sam and Dean silhouetted in the flashing red and blue lights. Police officers moved forward to force the brothers down onto the ground. Eileen fumbled with Pascal to see if she could make out what was being said, but it only picked up a word here and there. . _..under arrest… murder… say or… against…  _

A cold sensation spread from Eileen’s stomach, upwards to her throat as she watched Sam and Dean being led to the cars and driven away. She waited until the lights had faded from the alley, then she numbly looked for an easy way down off the roof. Once she had dropped down onto a dumpster that stood beside the wall and slid down onto solid ground, her shoulders started shaking and tears started to finally prick at her eyes. She mentally slapped herself. She had to hold it together until she could get somewhere safe.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she spun around in fright, fists at the ready. She was even more shocked to see her Aunt Eugenie standing there, a sympathetic look on her face. Aunt Genie pulled her into a hug, and she finally let the tears flow.


	6. Chapter 6

Castiel let himself into the station, checking to make sure none of the local officers were around. He didn’t really want to walk in empty-handed after having left them to chase down Sam, Dean and Eileen earlier that afternoon.

He eyed the filing cabinets lining the back of the office space. He couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't adding up about Eileen. Dean had told him that Eileen had been desperate to see the fireworks, since she lived alone in the woods with her aunt. Sounded innocent enough, but the fact that she was there with Sam and Dean had him worried. Besides, he thought he recognised her face from one of the missing persons files he’d been searching through the previous day. He couldn't remember exactly where, though, so he'd have to narrow it down first. 

He sat down at the desk the department had provided him with and logged into the records.Some poor intern had logged information for years worth of missing persons cases, and he appreciated their efforts as he searched for “Eileen”. It might not even be her real name, but it was as good as any a place to start. 

There weren't many records in the results, and nothing recent. The others didn't match the age range, but as he scanned down, one record caught his eye. 1986, Female, caucasian, infant.  He sat forward as he brought up the entry. A missing infant by the name of Eileen Lahey. Eight months old, stolen from her family home during the night, no trace found since. He noted the file details and went hunting in the filming cabinets. 

The manila folder was easy enough to find, and he flicked through the contents. Eileen was a common enough name—ordinarily he might have put it down to coincidence, if it wasn’t for the fact that the family photo showed an uncanny resemblance to Eileen staring out from her mother’s face. 

What had Dean said about her parents? Died when she was a baby? That story no longer seemed to match with the kidnapping. He searched through incident reports but found no sign of any Laheys in the area there. His heart sank as he found a record showing that Eileen's mother, Maura, died of breast cancer just a few years ago. But it appeared from a quick search through the local directory that her father, Padraic, was very much alive and living a few towns away. It looked like the kidnapped baby Eileen had resurfaced. He wondered if she was still at the festival, and if he had time to catch up with her and perhaps Dean as well. He made a note of Padraic Lahey’s contact information and grabbed his keys ready to leave again, when there was a commotion in the hall. 

The main doors of the station burst open. Castiel stood and stared as several officers led a  cuffed Sam and Dean into the room, struggling and swearing. 

Sam was arguing as they came in. “She’s in danger! Please, let us go and help her?”

Dean looked up and saw Castiel standing there. Their eyes locked for a few moments, Dean accusing Castiel of betrayal without saying a word. 

Sam saw Castiel and redoubled his struggling. “Castiel, it’s Eileen. Please, we need to help her!”

Castiel looked helplessly between the two men as they were taken through the door towards the holding cells. Castiel grabbed the arm of one of the officers as they went past. “Officer, there must be some mistake. These men are federal agents, aren’t they?”

The officer grinned, looking pleased with himself. “You mean these?” He held up two ID wallets. “Fake badges. Well made, but fakes. They were at the festival, hiding in plain sight. These guys are off to solitary for the night.”

“A bit harsh for faking a badge, isn’t it?”

“I thought you feds would be all over this already? These guys are brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester. They’re wanted for all sorts—fraud, multiple murders and grave desecrations, of all things. And not only that, they’ve been accused of kidnapping and deprivation of liberty, too, although we haven’t found the girl yet.”

Castiel stared at the man, unable to speak for a few moments. He had actually enjoyed his afternoon with Dean, and found it hard to believe that the brothers could have such a lengthy criminal record, or that Eileen had been there against her will. Either he had been played, or something was seriously wrong here. 

“The girl?”

“Yeah, we got the call this afternoon, that this girl had gone missing, and giving these scumbags’ location.” He waved a hand towards the cells.

Castiel nodded absently. He had a fair idea of who might have made that call. He was going to have to do something drastic to find Eileen again, but he was going to need help.

 

~~~~~

 

It was late by the time Aunt Genie and Eileen got back to Thorne Tower. The moon cast a sickly light through patchy clouds as they walked to the front door from the car. Inside, Eileen sighed heavily, shoulders slumped. 

Aunt Genie put her hand on Eileen’s shoulder as she passed in the hall. She might have said something as she walked by, but Pascal was in Eileen’s pocket and she didn’t bother trying to look at her aunt’s lips to try to read them. 

After a moment, Aunt Genie lifted Eileen’s chin with one finger, then moved her head towards the kitchen. Eileen shuffled down the hall behind her. As she slumped at the kitchen table, her aunt bustled around, making tea. She put a mug in front of Eileen and sat opposite her at the table, waiting.

Eileen took Pascal out and typed, letting the device speak aloud in it’s tinny voice, “You were right, Aunt Genie. They were after us.”

“Oh, flower,” her aunt replied, her face a picture of concern. “I’m so sorry this happened. But I did warn you, didn’t I? I tried to warn you that the world is cruel. If it finds the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it.”

Eileen sighed again and typed, “He was so nice. I really thought he liked me.”

“Now come on, let’s go up and get some sleep, and forget all about that hunter. They’re locked up now for their crimes. They can’t hurt us anymore.”

Eileen nodded miserably and stood up, leaving the room without touching her tea. She climbed the flights of stairs to her room and slumped on the bed, despondent. She’d enjoyed the day so much—why did it have to end so badly? She was so, so tired, but decided she’d better at least wash her face before sleeping. 

She went back down to the second floor and wandered into the bathroom she shared with her aunt. She looked into the mirror, admiring the way the hairclip still held up her long hair after several hours, then unclipped it and let her hair fall down her back once again. 

Hang on, what had Sam been telling his brother on the phone? She had some kind of brand on her neck? She hunted under the sink, behind her aunt’s jars of creams and makeup, coming up with a small magnifying mirror. She stood up and turned her back to the wall mirror, carefully angling the small mirror over her shoulder until she could see the reflection of the back of her head. She gingerly pulled her hair out of the way, and nearly dropped the small mirror with a gasp when she saw it—a small, round scar with some kind of markings inside and around it. It was only slightly raised from her skin, so she would never have noticed it if Sam hadn’t found it. 

Eileen clapped her hand to her mouth in horror. What did this mean? Her aunt was really a witch? Sam had been trying to protect her all along? And he had been taken by the police! Wait, her aunt had known where they were...

Eileen walked out into the hall, only to see her aunt standing at the other end. Eileen stared at her in horror, momentarily unable to move. 

“What’s wrong, dear?” Aunt Genie came forward and held out a hand to Eileen, beckoning her over.

Eileen recoiled from her aunt’s hand and fished Pascal out of her pocket. 

“Did you tell the police where to find us?”

Aunt Genie stared at Eileen, then scoffed, “Of course I told them. You were in danger. Hunters are not to be trusted!”

Eileen typed another question while her aunt was still ranting. “How did you know they were hunters? And are you really a witch?”

“Well, yes. I have some powers. You should know that not just anyone can do magic. What's going on, flower? Why all the questions? I only want to protect you, keep you safe-“

“Aunt Genie, what is this?” Eileen dragged the hair away from her neck and pointed. Her heart was in her throat and she was breathing hard. 

Aunt Genie blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly. “Oh, that? It's just a little protection mark, to keep evil spirits away. Now come on, please, I'm not feeling well. Could you give me a little healing? I've been busy running after you all…”

She trailed off as Eileen read her words and started shaking her head violently as she typed. 

Pascal’s tinny voice spoke Eileen's furious words without inflection, “No. I will never let you use my magic again.”

Eileen whirled about and tried to storm up to her room, but her aunt grabbed her arm from behind and started dragging her towards the stairs. Eileen struggled, but her aunt had a vice grip on her and shoved her into the wall. Head reeling, Eileen lost her grip on Pascal and it fell to the floor. 

The unread voice-to-text message sat unread on the screen: _ I was hoping to get another few years out of you, girl, but I guess I have no choice now. All right, now I'm the bad guy _ .

 

~~~~~

 

Dean paced back across the tiny cell, impatient and fed up. Why the hell did Sammy have to go getting them caught? All for a stupid date. Well, he hoped Eileen was somewhere safe, far away from her creepy-sounding aunt. 

Dean idly wondered if Sam was okay. He had tried calling out to him, but he couldn’t hear any reply except for one of the policemen shouting at him to shut up. Perhaps they were on different sides of the station now. 

After what felt like another fifty laps across the cell, he went to the door and put his face up to the grill. “Hey! Do you think I could get some water in here or something? Maybe a cheeseburger?”

Silence. Dean huffed and sat down on the hard bunk, back against the masonry wall. This wasn’t exactly how he envisioned his last couple of months before the hellhounds arrived. 

The cell door clanked slightly and Dean leaped to his feet. The door opened and Castiel appeared. Without saying a word, he grabbed Dean and shoved him against the opposite wall, one hand covering his mouth. He held him still, glaring at Dean until Dean realised he was warning him to be quiet, and he nodded slightly. Cas released him and jerked his head towards the door.

Outside the cell the corridor was deserted. Where were the police officers? Dean crept quietly behind Cas, wondering what the hell the agent was playing at. 

They both peeked around a corner, and Dean saw that they were back in the big, central area of the station. He could hear movement, as though there was at least one person sitting at a desk in there. Another corridor led off to the right, and it seemed Cas was about to head off in that direction when Dean saw one of the officers come into view, and he grabbed Cas by the back of his trench coat and pulled him back into the corridor. They retreated further behind a metal cabinet that stood along the wall, while the officer walked over to the kitchenette area at the back of the office space and started making coffee. 

Dean released a breath and was suddenly aware the he was huddled close enough to Cas’ back to feel his body heat radiating, even through his coat. Cas half-turned to look at him and Dean found himself staring into crystal blue eyes. They bored into Dean's, and Dean involuntarily dropped his eyes to Cas’ lips and licked his own bottom lip slightly, then shook himself and looked over to the hallway they were supposed to be creeping down. 

Cas turned back around and moved away from Dean, back into the corridor. Dean nearly stumbled, his heart beating right out of his chest. When had the agent—the real, live FBI agent—suddenly become devastatingly hot? 

Dean mentally slapped himself.  _ Get back in the game, Winchester. _ He followed Cas across the short open distance to the other corridor, and they hurried along to another cell door. 

Cas unlocked the door with a set of keys on a ring. Dean wondered where he had pinched those from, as he checked back over his shoulder at the empty hall. Cas opened the door and motioned for Dean to go in. 

Dean nodded, brushing past Cas and into the tiny cell. Sam was standing, alert and ready for action, but as he saw Dean, his eyes widened. “Dean?” 

Dean put a finger to his own lips and waved the other hand around, stopping Sam from saying anything else. He turned and left the cell again, Sam following him. When Sam saw Castiel, he gripped the other man's arm, smiling in thanks. 

Cas nodded gravely, then shut the cell door and relocked it. He turned to Dean and mouthed, “This way,” pushing past him back up the corridor. Dean eyed the camera on the ceiling above them, wondering what Cas had done to shut them down. 

At the back of the station was a small wet room, near the bathrooms. Cas opened a door to let them outside. He said in a low voice, “Stay nearby. I'll try to cover our tracks and meet you here.”

Dean followed Sam down a few stairs, and they settled down to wait next to a dumpster in the small carpark. 

“You all right?” Dean asked his brother, keeping half an eye on the dark carpark. 

“Yeah. What's up with Castiel?”

Something jumped in Dean's chest at the mention of the blue-eyed agent.  _ Stop that!  _

“I dunno. He still thinks we're Feds, doesn't he? He did something to the cameras in there, so I hope he knows what he's doing.”

 

~~~~~

 

Castiel walked back towards the office area, pausing in the corridor to try to calm himself down. He had needed to put some space between himself and Dean. Staring into those green eyes had woken something in him—something that he was having trouble pushing away, but he took a deep breath and wandered out into the office, heading for his desk. 

“Agent Castiel, there you are!” The young officer, whose name Castiel thought was Alfie, smiled and beckoned him over to where he was sitting at a desk with another two officers and shuffling a deck of cards. “We're just about to deal some poker. You want in?”

Castiel put on his best attempt at a nonchalant grin, saying, “Uh, thanks, but I'm just about to head out. I'll catch you guys in the morning.”

“Sure thing,” Alfie said, starting to deal. The other officers waved briefly and turned to the game. 

Castiel let out a small breath and headed for the front door. He walked quickly around to the carpark and unlocked his car, motioning Sam and Dean over when he saw them lurking near the dumpster. 

Dean looked at the car incredulously as he approached. “That's your car?” 

Castiel looked down at his Lincoln Continental, puzzled. “Yes,” he said, defensively. 

Dean snorted. He got into the front seat, saying, “Okay, Ice Cube.”

Sam chuckled quietly from the back seat as Castiel got into the driver's seat. “I don't know who that is,” he said, squinting at Dean. 

Dean sighed. “Never mind. Thanks for busting us out, Cas. What's going on?”

As they pulled out of the carpark and started to head across town, Castiel gave them a brief summary of Eileen's kidnapping, and Sam hit the back of the seat, saying, “I knew there was more to that story. Her aunt could have her again right now. We need to get to the house.”

“Actually,” Dean said, “take us to my car first. We need to pick up some supplies.” He glanced at Sam. 


	7. Chapter 7

Eileen's head spun as she was roughly dragged out the back door and around to the cellar entrance. Something warm trickled into her eyes, and she realised that her forehead must be bleeding where she'd hit the wall upstairs.

The cellar door was padlocked, but her aunt popped the lock off with a flick of her wrist. Eileen had never been down there. She had no idea what her aunt might be keeping under the house. With a sinking feeling, she realised she was about to find out. Aunt Genie pulled Eileen down the stairs, stumbling in the dark. There was a strange smell down here, although she couldn’t quite place it. A few steps into the room, she tripped over a hard object under her foot—it rolled away from her. 

As Aunt Genie went forward into the pitch black, Eileen's breath began to hitch. She tried to calm herself and be ready to escape when she could, but the panic was rising in her throat. Her aunt shook her, and pulled her forward again. 

They shuffled a little further and Eileen thought they must be in the bowels of the earth by now. Aunt Genie came to a sudden stop and let go of her arm.

Pitch black. Alone. Fear surged in her throat again and she shut her eyes tightly, clutching at her own arms. Her chest was tight, head thumping with her pulse. No, no. Think of something else, anything. Kind, hazel eyes appeared in her mind and she remembered her giant, their kiss. It seemed like so long ago now. She forcibly swallowed down the panic and opened her eyes, to see that her aunt had lit a few candles of different heights on a table. 

She looked around the dimly-lit room to see that it was small, the table the only furniture. There were more candles on the concrete floor that her aunt was now moving to light with a cigarette lighter, and Eileen stepped back in horror when she realised that around her, under her feet, was a large design on the floor. A pentagram, with symbols around it. 

Aunt Genie noticed her movement and stood, saying something that Eileen couldn't make out on her lips. Eileen's arms snapped to her sides and she felt her body go rigid. Unable to move, she stared as her aunt smiled maliciously. 

 

~~~~~

 

Dean parked the Impala far enough along the driveway that it would be hidden from both the road and the house. Sam tried to keep his breathing even, but he noticed Dean giving him a worried look before they got out of the car and waited for Cas to park behind them. 

Dean popped the trunk of the car and pulled out a few guns. When Cas had joined them, peering at the arsenal in the dim moonlight, Dean said to him, “Just saying, I don't know what we're gonna find in there. I'd be a whole lot happier if you'd hang back here and be the cavalry when we call.”

“I'm coming,” Cas said firmly. He declined the pistol Dean offered him, holding up his own with a gleam of silver. 

“Whatever.” Dean turned to Sam and rolled his eyes, offering him the gun instead. 

Sam huffed a laugh as he took it, tucking it into the back of his jeans. He stifled a yawn as he peered up the driveway towards the house. He could see the dim gleam of a light through trees. 

“We keeping you up, princess?” Dean said, smirking at him. 

“Shut up,” Sam replied. The truth was, he could feel the last few sleepless nights and long days catching up with him. He shook his head to loosen the cobwebs, and said, “C’mon, let’s go.”

They tried to move up the gravel driveway as quietly as possible, but without their torches on, it was slow going. Once they reached the house they stopped, looking for any sign of movement. 

Dean turned to Sam. “Right, once we get inside, Sam, you go find Eileen. Cas ‘n I will get her aunt.”

“Hang on. Wait here a moment, I’ll scout around,” Castiel said, moving off quietly before the others could say a word.

Dean muttered, “What the hell?” but it wasn’t long before Cas was silently ghosting around the other side of the house.

He whispered, “It’s all quiet, but the back door looks like it’s open.”

“All right, let’s go.” Sam led the way to the back of the house. He took out his gun and held it ready as he nudged the back door open wider. The inside of the house was quiet, although lights were on in the kitchen and upstairs. 

Sam indicated to the others to look downstairs while he started to creep upstairs. When he reached the top he looked down the corridor, then stopped as he noticed something on the floor. As he got closer, he realised it was Pascal. “Shit,” he said under his breath. He thumbed the device on and read the message on the screen, an icy fist taking hold of his stomach. 

He checked the rooms on this level, but although lights were on, they were empty. He went back downstairs and quietly showed the phone to Dean. 

“The cellar?” Dean said in a low voice. “I think I saw the door just outside.”

Just as they had found Cas and were about to head out the back, a tremor went through the house. 

“What was that?” Cas asked, concerned. “An earthquake?”

“Or worse,” Sam said, moving into the kitchen towards the door. The house started shaking again, rattling plates in one of the cupboards.

Outside, the tremors were slightly less pronounced, but a low rumbling was still rising from the ground. Sam hurried over to the cellar door and lifted one side. The rumbling sounded louder, and they could hear someone chanting. The faint smell of something rank and rotten rose from the open door. Sam held his gun and torch up at the ready, and crept down the cellar stairs, Dean and Cas right behind him.

He could hear the chanting coming from somewhere up ahead and around a corner, where a dim, flickering light shone. At the bottom of the stairs, Sam kicked something that clattered away. He shone his torch down at the floor and nearly yelped aloud. The floor of the cellar room was covered in bones. Piles and piles of them, heaped up in the corners, some with fabric around them still. A skull grinned at him from the floor in front of his feet. He turned to look at Cas and Dean’s shocked faces, and tried to gulp down the bile rising in the back of his throat. 

Dean touched Sam’s shoulder. “Come on,” he murmured, moving forward across the room. Cas and Sam followed, trying to avoid stepping on any of the bones. 

Dean switched off his torch and peeked around the corner. He froze. Sam followed him and peeked over his head. He clapped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from gasping aloud. 

Eileen was standing still and rigid in the middle of the room, on what looked like a devil’s trap on the concrete floor. Her back was to them, so Sam couldn’t see her face, but a bright white glow was surrounding her, and flowing from her face towards a woman he assumed to be Aunt Genie standing on the far side of the room, holding her arms out, head thrown back, still chanting loudly in Latin.

Cas said, “What…” and trailed off, eyes wide as saucers.

Sam cried out, “Eileen! No!” and ducked around the corner, firing his gun at the witch. The gunshot echoed loudly in the small space, and the bullet hit Eileen’s aunt just below her right collarbone. She flew back against the wall with a cry. The rumbling stopped abruptly, and  Eileen slumped to the ground with a small moan. 

Sam ran over to her, gently taking her in his arms. She looked up at him, teary-eyed and barely conscious. “Sam?” she whispered. 

Dean walked carefully over to where the witch was lying against the wall, Cas right behind him, but before they could get over there, she stirred, sitting upright and cursing. 

“You filthy creatures. Do you know how much that fucking hurts?” The witch got to her feet and flung out an arm, sending Cas and Dean flying backwards across the room, into the wall. 

Sam jumped up, leaving Eileen sitting, and the witch threw him against the wall too, holding all three of them still. 

“Pitiful hunters. I put up with your little game today, while you took my precious flower out to show her the town. Obviously the law enforcement in this stupid town are more useless than I could have imagined. I’m not going to let you ruin my plans again.”

She reached down and, grabbing the front of Eileen's shirt, viciously hauled her to her feet. Eileen wobbled, but stayed upright. 

“Ungrateful brat!” she screeched at Eileen. “I’ve looked after you all your life, fed you, taught you to communicate, and you’ve been just like all the others. I take you all in, but why do you all always have to be so… “

“Curious? Independent?” Sam asked, trying desperately to move away from the wall. 

“Shut up!” the witch screamed. “Demon! I summon thee. Come to my aid!”

A tall, broad-shouldered man appeared in one corner of the room, black eyes looking bored. “What is it now, Eugenie?” 

“Deal with these hunters while I complete the ritual!” she demanded imperiously.

The demon smiled wolfishly and moved across the room. The witch started her chant again, the white glow appearing around a swaying Eileen once again. 

With the witch’s attention elsewhere, Sam found he could move again. He met the demon’s attack and blocked the first punch, sending his own crashing into the demon’s side. The shaking ground was making it difficult to stand upright, but the demon recovered enough to throw Cas away from him, before he engaged with Dean. 

Cas stood back and tried to aim his gun towards their attacker, but Dean shouted him down. “He’s a demon. Bullets won’t hurt him!” 

Cas’ eyes got even wider and he put the gun away, trying to jump back into the fray, but the demon knocked him back against the wall again. He slid down and didn’t get back up.

“Cas?” Dean was distracted long enough for the demon to land a cracking punch to his ribs, leaving him shouting in pain. His gun went flying out of his hand, out of reach. 

Sam gulped down air as he realised they may well be outmatched here. The chanting was reaching a fever pitch now and the light was so bright that Sam had to look away from Eileen. They had to do something, and quickly.

Sam attempted to attack from behind the demon, knife in hand. Bobby had seemed to think the knife would help them against demons, but he had no idea how—it still felt as cool and heavy in his hand as ever. As the demon was going after Dean, he saw his opportunity and ducked in to stab the demon in the back, but the demon had pulled his own knife out of somewhere. He spun around, slashing towards Sam’s face. 

A white-hot line of fire scored across Sam's eyes, and he screamed as the world went dark. A punching sensation in his gut sent agony through him, and he fell back, clutching at his face with one hand and his stomach with the other. The demon knife skittered away across the floor. All was dark, and pain. 

 

~~~~~

 

Dean screamed, “No!” as he saw Sam go down, knifed in the gut. Blood was streaming from his brother's face—he hoped it wasn't his eyes—and Sam moaned as he slumped against the wall.

Dean squared his shoulders, wincing as his broken ribs sent a stab of pain through him. “Alright you fucker. Show me what you got.”

The demon gave him a feral grin and launched at him, aiming a punch at his ribs. Dean ducked out of the way and used the demon's momentum to send him crashing into the wall. Dean quickly moved to where the knife had fallen, gripping it tightly and moving back into a fighting stance just as the demon flew at him again. The demon's eyes widened at the knife and he managed to dodge away from Dean's stab, grabbing Dean's knife arm and twisting. 

Dean gasped as he felt the bones in his wrist grind together in an unnatural way. The knife dropped to the floor again, then he lashed out, kicking the demon's legs from underneath him. He crashed to the floor, pulling Dean down with him, and they both scrabbled to get vertical again. The demon was up first, but knocked Dean back to the floor and sat on him, pinning his legs. Dean could barely see him as he started raining punches on Dean's head. The streaming light coming from Eileen and her aunt was blinding white. 

Dean took hits to his cheek and the side of his head, and his vision was starting to go black around the edges when the demon cried out, arching his back. Lightning flickered in the demon’s rib cage a few times, and he slumped on top of Dean, steaming slightly. Cas was standing over him holding the bloody knife, wide-eyed and terrified. 

“Well, that worked,” Dean said, somewhat muffled by the body lying on him.

Aunt Genie screamed and the light abruptly faded away. The ground stopped shaking and all fell silent. Eileen fell to her knees again as the witch did the same, looking down at her hands. They were no longer glowing, and she screamed, “My magic! My magic is gone!”

 

~~~~~

 

Eileen fell to her knees hard, but she hardly felt the concrete beneath her. She ached all over, and she was so, so weary, but she lifted her eyes up to see Aunt Genie screaming, tears in her eyes. 

Something cold was touching her bare foot. She looked around to see a gun lying on the floor. In a daze, she picked it up, cocked it, and shot her aunt through the heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies to the real Eugenie, but I thought Eileen deserved some payback for her poor treatment.


	8. Chapter 8

The gunshot blasted through the room, making Dean's ears ring. He didn't even watch the witch slump to the floor, instead shuffling over to where Sam lay propped against the wall, hair hanging over his face.

“Sammy?” he called desperately as he looked his brother over. Sam's breathing was fast and shallow, but he was conscious, clutching at his stomach with his hands. As he looked up, Dean drew in an involuntary gasp. Sam's face was a mess of blood, his eyelashes stuck together and rivulets running down his cheeks like red tears. 

“Dean? I… I can't see.” Sam's voice sounded broken, terrified. 

Dean sat down awkwardly and winced as he put his arms around his brother. “It's okay, Sammy, we're gonna get you all fixed up. It's over now, she's dead.”

“Eileen?” The panic rose in Sam's voice and he tried to move to get up, but Dean pushed him down again. 

Dean looked over to Eileen and found her watching the two of them, eyes wide. Castiel was crouched beside her. 

“No, she's fine. Everything's gonna be fine,” he said to Sam, while beckoning urgently to her. 

She crawled over, then tentatively reached out and placed one gentle hand on Sam's cheek, not bothered about the bloody mess. 

Sam rested one of his palms on top of her hand. “Eileen,” he said with relief, then cried out and doubled over in pain. 

Eileen and Dean shared a panicked glance and Dean said, “Do something! Heal him!” His heart was beating in his throat. Hell if he was going to lose his brother again so soon. He only had one soul to barter, after all. 

Eileen just shrugged, looking stricken. 

Dean remembered that Sam had shown him Pascal upstairs. He dug around in Sam's coat pocket and found the phone, passing it to Eileen.

Sam looked as though he had passed out, slumped crookedly against Dean's shoulder. 

She got right to typing, then let the phone speak, “When she died, the magic left.”

“No. No, you healed me this afternoon. That wasn't her, that was you! That was all you. You have to try. Please!” he asked desperately. 

 

~~~~~

 

Eileen read Dean’s words and looked at him, at the panic in his eyes. She gulped, looking back at Sam's ruined face. She had felt the magic dissolve before her aunt had died, and she couldn't feel it at her fingertips now, but for Sam, she would try. 

She took a deep breath and tried to calm her mind. The tang of blood was sharp in her nose and the roiling panic was trying to resurface, but she shoved it down and breathed again. She put one hand on Sam's abdomen and the other on his shoulder, and reached deep to will her magic to heal him. 

Nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see Dean looking at her questioningly, panic starting to turn to anger in his eyes. She closed her eyes again and tried to locate the magic somewhere within her, but she could find anything except a rising tide of helplessness. 

She shook her head slightly, tears starting to squeeze out from between her lashes. When she looked back up, Castiel had moved to stand behind Dean, putting a hand on his shoulder. Tears were running down Dean's face as well. 

_ I'm sorry, Sam _ , she thought as she landed forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. A tear dripped off the end of her nose, running off his chin and making him twitch. He smiled slightly, and Eileen felt a warmth swelling in her chest. This man had helped her, taken her to live her dream, because he was kind. Then he’d come back here to find her, because he was brave. What was this warm feeling? She couldn’t love him, she’d only met him  _ that day _ ! 

Eileen gave a hicupping kind of laugh and closed her eyes again, leaning forward to rest her forehead on Sam’s shoulder as he slumped over into Dean. The warm feeling bubbled up in her chest again, spreading outwards until she felt it tingle into her hands and through her whole being. 

She opened her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Castiel, kneeling beside her and staring down at her hands. She lifted them and gave a gasp—a purple glow surrounded her, concentrated at her hands. The magic wasn’t gone, after all—just changed. She quickly placed her hands on Sam and gave a gentle push to the magic… and it flowed.

 

~~~~~

 

Sam was floating in some kind of hell. Waking up hurt too much, but he wasn’t ready to let go just yet. There were people who needed him, Dean needed him to break his demon deal. Eileen… she might not need his help any more, but he wasn’t ready to leave her behind.

He became aware of a purple haze around him, which was weird, because he was pretty sure that the demon had blinded him. The haze called to him, and he was yanked unceremoniously back into consciousness. 

Sam jolted awake with a gasp, his body on fire. He heard Dean gasp as well, and say, “Sammy?” Gradually, the fire died, and Sam became aware of dim light around him. The light slowly resolved into candlelight, and a face. It was Eileen, one hand on his cheek, tears in her eyes. He smiled, and so did she—it was like the dawn.

Sam broke her gaze and looked down at his abdomen, pulling his shirt up. The skin was covered in blood, but the wound had completely closed up. 

Dean breathed, “You did it.” Then, louder, and clapping Eileen on the shoulder, “You did it!” 

Eileen turned to him in shock, and he grabbed her in a hug for a moment. Dean jumped up, looking like he was going to grab Castiel as well, but pulled his hands back awkwardly and stepped back to the wall instead. 

Sam looked back at Eileen. She swayed, then fell forward into his arms in a dead faint. 

 

~~~~~

 

Eileen stirred and opened her eyes, blinking at the bright light. It appeared to be morning, and she was no longer in the cellar. She peered around and realised she was upstairs on the couch in the library, a blanket draped over her. She rubbed at her forehead to try to dislodge a headache, but it didn’t help much. 

Sam was slumped in an armchair nearby, dozing. She watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, momentarily filled with a warm happiness that her giant had made it. Her magic hadn’t failed her, after all. She moved forward, reaching out to put a hand on his knee.

He woke up with a jerk and pushed the hair out of his eyes, blinking a few times. His eyes were clear, the blood washed away, although she could still see some on his shirt. He brightened when he saw that she was awake, and reached down to grab her hand.

She smiled at him, then looked around on the sofa for Pascal. Sam saw her looking and fished in a pocket, pulling out her phone and handing it over.

She extricated her hand from his grip and typed, letting Pascal do the talking, “How are you feeling?” 

He looked at her incredulously. “I could ask you the same thing.” 

She smiled again. “I’m okay. Not sure I could stand up, but I’m okay.”

Sam nodded, speaking around a yawn. “You’ll need a few days rest. Your aunt… The sigil she put on your neck? It allowed her to drain your soul to keep her young. It’s okay,” he assured her at her shocked expression, “your soul will be fine, it just needs to… recharge.”

“She’s been doing that to me my whole life?” 

“More or less, yeah.” Sam paused, hesitant. “Eileen, she’s been doing this for a long time. Before you, there were… others. From what we can tell, she drained them until they were old enough to start asking questions or getting restless, then she basically ripped out their soul to keep her going until she could find another victim.”

Eileen felt dizzy—her whole life had fallen away beneath her feet. She recovered enough to type, “How do you know all this?”

“Well, we don’t for sure,” Sam said, uncomfortable. “But down in the cellar… there are bodies. Bones, mostly. It’s hard to tell, but at least twenty. I’m sorry, Eileen.”

“Don’t be sorry. I would have been one of them. You saved my life!” She reached out to take his hand again, once again so glad that she could look into his hazel eyes. 

Sam kneeled on the floor beside the couch and placed his palm on her cheek, gently stroking the skin with his thumb. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down into a warm kiss, soft, but more urgent than on the rooftop. He opened his lips, deepening the kiss, and a delightful shiver ran down her spine. She reached up and laced her fingers through a handful of his hair, and she felt his groan rumble through her.

Sam jerked away suddenly, and Eileen saw Dean and Castiel had entered the room. She felt her cheeks heat, but she tried to sit up a little straighter as they came over, looking apologetic. Sam sat back on his heels and dropped his hand to hold hers. 

“Sorry to interrupt the party, but we just heard over the radio that the cops are out looking for us. Sammy, we should probably clear out soon,” Dean said, perching on the arm of Eileen’s sofa. Castiel walked over to the window to peer out into the morning sunshine.

“How’re you feeling?” Dean asked her.

She pulled her hand away from Sam to type. “I’m fine,” she replied with a small smile, then continued typing. “Thank you. Thank you all for coming after me.”

“No problem. I assume Sam filled you in on the whole… soul-sucking, kidnapping shit that your aunt was up to?” Dean said.

“Yes. I suppose she wasn’t really my aunt, was she?”

“No,” Castiel said, walking over to join them. He sat on the armchair, leaning forward as he said, “Eileen, your parents weren’t killed when you were a baby, either. You were kidnapped when you were eight months old. I’m afraid your mother has passed away now, but your father still lives in a town not far away.”

Eileen stared at him as she took this information in. She was buzzing all over, but also terrified. She… she had a father out there somewhere, but her mother… She let out a harsh breath and looked around at each of Castiel, Dean and Sam in wonder. The hope that had been kindling in her heart sputtered as she wondered whether her father would be pleased to finally meet his daughter, after twenty-three years.

Castiel must have seen the trepidation in her face because he said, “You don’t have to see him if you don’t want to, but I have his details if you’d like to.”

“Thank you,” she said again, then, realising how hungry she was, added, “I don’t suppose you could fetch me something from the kitchen before you go? I’m starving.”

Sam grinned and stood up. “I’ll see what I can find,” he said. 

As he left the room, he heard Dean say, “So Eileen, got enough soul mojo to fix up my ribs?”

 

~~~~~

 

Sam went into the kitchen and started hunting around for food in the pantry. When he surfaced holding crackers and some muesli bars he wasn’t sure the age of, he found Dean leaning against the sink, looking thoughtful. 

“What? Sore ribs preventing you from helping?” Sam asked, putting his haul on the table and heading for the fridge.

“Nah, Eileen fixed ‘em. Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Dean said in a low voice. 

Sam raised one eyebrow at him, then turned back to the fridge.

“She’s a witch, Sam. We don’t usually leave those to their own devices.” 

“What, you’re not suggesting we…” Sam saw the expression on Dean’s face and felt ice clench at his recently healed stomach. “No, no no no. She’s an innocent, Dean! She’s a  _ healer _ for fuck’s sake!” 

“She’s a healer  _ now _ . What happens when she chances on one of Aunt Genie’s old spell books and starts experimenting, huh?”

Sam couldn’t believe they were arguing about this again. Had it been that long since Madison? Since the werewolves? “No. We went through this already. I’m not taking another life  _ just in case _ .”

“Sammy, we don’t let monsters go because they might turn around to bite us later down the track. Or in this case, you, since I won’t be around.”

Sam caught his breath and said, quietly, “She’s not a monster. And if she goes to the dark side,  _ you and I _ will deal with it. Later.” He picked up the food that he’d gathered and turned his back on Dean.

A short while later, all four of them were enjoying a picnic on the floor of the library, made up of the bits and pieces Sam had pulled out of the kitchen. He’d also found a bottle of wine in the pantry which Dean had scowled at, looking like he’d rather drink dishwater instead. Sam was reasonably sure that his brother was now burning a brooding hole in the side of Sam's own head with his stare, but he'd have to suffer in silence. Sam had his attention on Eileen as he told her what they had walked into down in the cellar, and what had happened with the demon. 

“Some witches get their power from demons. No demon, no magic.”

“The demon was the one who hurt your eyes?” she asked, eyes wide. 

Sam nodded, shuddering as he remembered the feeling of the knife across his face. “It was nothing that you couldn't handle,” he said, smiling at her. 

“So how come I was able to heal you like that? I don't know any demons.”

Dean piped up through a mouthful of cheese. “You must have some natural ability for magic. Some people do. The witch's spell must have masked it. You weren't healing her all that time, she was taking your soul's energy. Just make sure you use that magic for good, okay?”

Eileen nodded seriously, but Sam rolled his eyes.  “Don't worry about him. Just be careful who you reveal the power to.”

Eileen nodded again in agreement, just as Castiel’s phone rang. He looked at it, saying, “That's the station. They must have realised I'm not there this morning either. I'll have to take this. You two should go. I'll stay and call this in, and help Eileen get things sorted out.” He walked into the other room to answer the phone. 

Sam looked back at Eileen and sighed. She smiled. Sam turned to glance at Dean, who cleared his throat, then stood up abruptly.

“I’ll just go, and er… get the car sorted. Right,” he said, and hurried out of the room. 

Sam turned back with a chuckle. They gazed at each other for a moment.

Eileen picked Pascal up and typed, “So, the knife. You had it the whole time?” 

Sam's ears went pink and he looked down at his hands. “Sorry, but it was what we came here for in the first place.”

“You’re witch hunters?”

“Monster hunters, actually. Although sometimes that includes witches, yeah.”

“Thank you for taking me to the festival anyway, Sam.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I hope we didn’t ruin your birthday too much.”

“Not at all. It was a dream come true.” They shared a sweet smile.

He paused to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m so sorry we’re running out like this. Will you stay here, do you think?”

She glanced down at Pascal to see his words, then replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.” She paused, considering. “I’ll try to stay, I guess. This is my home, after all. But if it gets too much…” She trailed off, but let Pascal voice the unfinished thought anyway.

“I’m just a text away, all right? We can help, whatever you need,” Sam said earnestly.

Eileen nodded, smiling. She touched her fingers to her mouth and moved the back of her hand towards Sam in the sign for “thank you”. Sam decided he was going to have to learn more than that one sign, but then all thoughts of signing went out of his head as Eileen reached out to stroke his cheek with her fingertips. A wave of desire overcame Sam, igniting his blood, but all he could do was lean forward and touch his lips to hers in a lingering farewell. He broke the kiss, resting his forehead on hers, his hand on her cheek as they breathed the same air for a moment. 

The rumble of the Impala on the drive outside brought him back to reality, and he sighed, leaning back from Eileen. His heart cracked slightly when he saw the tears on Eileen’s lashes, and he grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. “I’ll see you again soon, okay?”

Eileen nodded, swiping at her face with her other hand. She cleared her throat and tried to stand up, but swayed into Sam’s arms once she was upright. He walked her to the front door and he stood there for a moment, folding her into a hug. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, leading her on like this. Who knew what the next couple of months would hold, with Dean’s deadline looming. Their life wasn’t exactly peachy at the best of times. There was just something about Eileen, though, that Sam was drawn to.

Castiel was standing by the car with Dean, handing him a card. “My number,” he said with a crooked smile. “Let me know if you’re in the area.” 

Dean returned the smile and clapped Castiel on the shoulder. “I’ll text you so you’ve got mine.” He flushed slightly and stepped back. “You know, in case any more weird shit goes on ‘round here.” 

He opened the driver’s door. “Sammy?” 

Sam bent down to capture Eileen’s lips with his, then he stepped away, letting go of her hand and walking over to the car. His face warmed as he got into the passenger seat and saw Dean’s knowing look. “Shut up.”

“I said nothing!” Dean said adamantly, then grinned as he fired the ignition.

Sam cast a lingering look back towards Eileen, leaning against the side of the door frame. She gave a small wave. He had no idea if they could ever make a relationship work, or how long it would be before he could get back here, but damn him if he wasn’t going to try.

They drove slowly down the gravel driveway towards the main road, then headed west, out of town.

Dean pushed a cassette into the player—Led Zeppelin's  _ Kashmir _ started playing. “Jesus fucking Christ. I need a shower, a beer and bed, in roughly that order.”

Sam smiled, saying, “You and me both.”

 

~~~~~

 

**Two weeks later**

 

Castiel stopped the car at the kerb, turning off the ignition and looking over at Eileen in the passenger seat. “You don’t have to do this if you’re uncomfortable.”

Eileen looked down at Pascal to read his words, then back up at Cas. She was determined to see this through, although she was terrified. 

She opened the car door and stepped out in front of a pleasant condo, neat gardens fronting an equally neat house. 

Castiel came around the car and gestured to her to go ahead. 

She opened the front gate and walked up the brick path, eyeing the colourful tulips in the garden beside the front steps. When she reached the front door, she paused, taking a moment to breathe and remind herself that this is what she wanted.  

Cas walked past her and knocked on the door.

Eileen held her breath.

The door opened, to reveal a tall, bearded man. He wore a terrified expression on his face as he saw Cas, but when he spied Eileen behind him, his face cleared into a joyful smile. Eileen was dazzled—it was like the sun coming out. Her heart felt like it might burst as his kind eyes looked her over. She let out her held breath and reached out a hand for him to shake, pressing “send” on Pascal’s screen with her other thumb. Pascal’s voice said, “Hi, I’m Eileen.”

But her father never looked at Pascal, he lunged forward and enveloped Eileen in a huge hug. He was broad, so the hug felt like being wrapped in a warm, loving blanket. Eileen peeked over her dad’s shoulder to see Cas standing to the side, smiling. She buried her face in her dad’s shoulder and let the tears come.

Later, after they had shared an abridged version of their story over cups of coffee and chocolate cake, Eileen discovered that her father worked at the museum in Abbotsford. She kept the fact to herself that she personally knew the burglars who had broken in two weeks previously, but delighted in hearing all about his work on the exhibits. 

Eileen and Cas bid farewell to her father. She promised to return and visit Padraic again soon. As they drove away from the house, Eileen checked the message from Sam she had noticed earlier and huffed a laugh.  _ How did it go? _ Then another, fifteen minutes later:  _ Come on, don’t leave me in suspense here! _

_ It went great. He’s lovely. I’m happy. Thank you Sam. _

All Sam sent back was,  _ Good <3 _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story! Find lots more stories (not just mine) on [Ellen's Bookshelf](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ellen-of-oz).


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